Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - For the first time since they won it all back in 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays are back in the World Series, where they will face the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-seven series starting Friday night at Rogers Centre.
With the Buffalo Bisons being the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate just down Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and across the U.S.-Canada border, play-by-play man Pat Malacaro has gotten the chance to see a large chunk of the current Toronto roster over the last several years in Western New York.
"At least the majority of the roster in the Blue Jays' last two rounds played not only in Buffalo at some point, but this past year, specifically," said Malacaro in an interview with WBEN. "In the American League Championship Series (ALCS), it was 15 out of the 26 players on the active roster. In the first round of the playoffs for the Blue Jays, the Divisional Round, it was 16 out of 26 players. So we expect something similar, and that doesn't include Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - made his Bisons debut in 2018 and 2019 - or Bo Bichette, who's been on the Injured List but is expected to play in the World Series - a member of the Bisons in 2019 as well. There'll be almost every player on the active roster for the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, one way or another, who will have played in Buffalo either as an active roster player... or a rehab assignment player.
Among the notable Blue Jays player to make play on a rehab assignment in Buffalo this year included pitcher Shane Bieber, who pitched in Game 7 of the ALCS, and designated hitter George Springer, who had Toronto's go-ahead home run in Monday's series clincher over the Seattle Mariners.
Of the most notable players Malacaro enjoyed watching play in Buffalo in recent years was Guerrero Jr., who was honored as the ALCS Most Valuable Player.
"Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a top prospect in all of Minor League Baseball in 2018. He hit a home run in four-straight games for the Bisons, something that hadn't been done in several years. You knew that 'Vladdy' was going to be a very special player," Malacaro said. "He started the year in 2019 in Buffalo because of an injury, and then went to the big leagues and has excelled for the Blue Jays ever since. And especially the uniqueness of the Blue Jays playing in Buffalo in 2020 and '21, the Bisons and baseball fans in general got to see 'Vladdy' and Bo Bichette play in a Blue Jays uniform at Sahlen Field for a handful of games in '21. So to see him excel has been very fun to watch."
Also a player Malacaro got a chance to see briefly, but has enjoyed his path to the Majors this year is Trey Yesavage.
"[He] made three starts for the Bisons between August and September, goes up to the Major Leagues and has pitched only six times for the Blue Jays - including three times in the playoffs - and has been as dynamic of a pitcher, having started the year at the lowest level of Minor League Baseball all the way up to the Major Leagues, and now is on the verge of making a start in the World Series," Malacaro noted.
The chance for Malacaro to call games featuring many of the current Blue Jays and seeing their progression from Triple-A baseball to the Majors has been a special ride.
"When people ask me, 'What teams do I root for?' I tell them, 'I don't root for teams, I root for players and the stories behind those players,'" Malacaro said. "In my position, riding the bus back from a place like Worcester, Mass., or taking a flight that connects through one city into Des Moines, Iowa, a commercial flight, I get to know these players really well. So to know their stories, to be able to tell their stories, and then to see them perform at the Major League level, and to perform so well with the Blue Jays.
"And even players on the other side like Teoscar Hernández, who was a World Series hero last year for Los Angeles, Dave Roberts - the manager of the Dodgers - having known him from his time in Buffalo in the past. To know their stories and to see that so many other baseball fans and sports fans in general get to hear and see those stories now, it is a really special part of what makes my job so much fun."
Related
Among the several notable Blue Jays fans across the border in Western New York is Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro. Not only has he been a Blue Jays fan since his days playing youth baseball, but he's also been a Season Ticket holder in Toronto for the last two years.
"Being that we're just across the border with the Blue Jays, we've always enjoyed going up to Toronto to watch a Blue Jays game. My family loved it. We just spur of the moment, we get some tickets, get some hot dogs, popcorn and enjoy a good family fun day," said Todaro with WBEN.
"I just had a feeling that this team, it's just not a team. They play like they're a family. They kid around, they're like a bunch of young boys just having a good time. I can see that, and I'm like, 'You know what? This team's got something, and they're just getting better-and-better.' I knew this year they were going to take it all away, and here we are. It's unbelievable. It's beautiful."
Being in Toronto for Game 7 of the ALCS on Monday night, Todaro admits it was hard to explain the overarching feeling seeing the Blue Jays punch their ticket to the "Fall Classic".
"Just to be there when they won the championship for the American League, I just was in awe, I was in shock," he described. "I was like, 'Wow, this is what it feels like to be around a city that's winning. It's amazing.' And it just poured out into the streets and went all through the early morning. It was so fun."
Todaro says the crowds for the playoffs have been electrifying, adding Blue Jays fans are some of the best fans not just in baseball, but the entire sports world.
"I've been to so many stadiums throughout the country, Blue Jays fans are amazing. I'm just glad to be a part of it," Todaro said. "I took the gamble to buy the tickets, and had a really good sense they're going to go to, at least, the playoffs. This is a bonus to actually go to the World Series."
Todaro is very much looking forward to taking his 13-year-old son to Game 1 on Friday, and to be able to share the experience of the World Series together.
While Western New York has the Buffalo Bisons, when it comes to Major League Baseball, it is a friendly hodgepodge of fanbases. Many fans have clutched on with the Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets or Pittsburgh Pirates from their days as affiliates of the Bisons, while others take have found a rooting interest for teams like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox.
Todaro feels now more than ever is Western New York and Buffalo backing the Blue Jays as the region's Major League team.
"I have friends that are true-and-through Yankees fans, Cleveland fans. You know what happens right now? They're all backing the Blue Jays, because the Blue Jays beat their team, so they go for that team. 'They took out my team, I want them to win.' That's the beauty of it," Todaro explained.
How does Todaro feel about the Blue Jays' chances to win a third World Series title against a deep Dodgers team looking to go back-to-back?
"They've got some amazing players, I've got to give it to the Dodgers. They've got some big-money names on that team. It's not always about the money, and I want the Blue Jays to prove that," Todaro said. "This city is a great city, Toronto is so diversified, so fun, and they deserve it. They really do. 1993 is when they won the last trophy, so they're due. They're due up again. I think they deserve it. I give the Dodgers credit, they've got some great players, they're coming back in as reigning champs. But it's Toronto's turn."