BLUE JAYS WIN HUGE FIRST GAME 7 IN 40 YEARS — WITH MUSKOKA CONCERT BAND STREAMING 4-3 WIN DURING REHEARSAL LAST NIGHT
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
MUSKOKA — OK Blue Jays!
You want it all — you’re halfway there.
Fans glued to TVs last night watched wherever they could.
And the band played on in Utterson.
Fran Harvey, a huge fan and conductor of the Muskoka Concert Band, made sure last night that her musicians didn’t miss the game as they prepared for a Nov. 8 Remembrance Day afternoon concert at the Rene Caisse Theatre.
As she conducted, she placed a laptop on a music stand next to her so musicians could keep one eye on her baton, the other on the first couple of innings in rests between bars.
And they got home in time for George Springer’s three-run game-winning ALCS home run and 4-3 victory over Seattle — for which me thinks he should have been awarded the ALCS MVP, not Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
And bring the World Series back to Toronto Friday night.
The historic hit was the first and only Game 7 played by the Blue Jays at home in 40 years until 2025.
Forty years ago they were in the same position against George Brett and the west-winning Kansas City Royals on Oct. 16, 1985.
I covered that series, in which they Jays blew a 3-1 games lead eight years after entering the American League.
The disappointing 6-2 loss was their last playoff game at Exhibition Stadium, with Brett winning the ALCS MVP.
The Blue Jays did go on the win the World Series twice in 1992 and 1993 — and possibly could have won it the next year except for a players strike.
Thirty-two years since their last World Series win they face super star pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers who beat Milwaukee 4-0 for the NLCS.
But first there was that locker-room party last night that more than rivalled their East Division championship win.
I remember the KC victory being nowhere near as wet or profanity-infused.
But nonetheless celebratory.
The good champagne came out from the start unlike the Jays who must have sprayed cases of cheap spirits before uncorking the good stuff in addition to cases of beer cans.
Seattle, which entered the AL the same year as Toronto in 1977, had as many fantastic stars, but the Jays were just that much better to go to the world final with clutch pitching and hitting.
Harvey will have to keep her laptop music stand beside her to stream Game 3 of the WSCS from L.A. next Monday.
And try to contain her Blue Jays band fans enthusiasm.
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