18-inning World Series classic leaves Toronto Blue Jays fans sleep-deprived, heartbroken
CBC
They say some Toronto fans still haven’t gone to bed.
When Freddie Freeman’s 18th inning fly ball cleared the centre field wall at Dodger Stadium to give Los Angeles a 2-1 series lead in the World Series, it was just coming up on midnight in California. But in Toronto, where more than 27,000 fans watched Game 3 on the Rogers Centre video scoreboard, diehards had to stay up until nearly 3 a.m. ET just to have their hearts broken.
Numbers dwindled at the dome as the teams duelled through extra innings and fans considered whether to catch the last GO Train or triple their babysitting budget.
Those who did stick it out until the end Monday night — sorry, Tuesday morning — caught one of the longest, wildest World Series contests ever played: 18 innings, two runners thrown out at home, two thrown out at third, a controversial pickoff, miraculous pitching escape acts, Shohei Ohtani reaching base nine times (including twice by the long ball) and over six hours-worth of other emotion-draining, sleep-depriving action.
It may have been an instant classic, but the remaining fans at the Rogers Centre watch party found that hard to appreciate when the game finally came to a close.
"[It's] pretty brutal honestly," said Jays fan Zaul Fereidooni right after Freeman’s game-winning shot.
Fereidooni had attended Game 1 at Rogers Centre, and when he heard the stadium was hosting watch parties for fans during away games he jumped at the chance to get a few of his friends out to keep up with the World Series.
Tickets to Rogers Centre watch parties were $15 — a much cheaper ticket than any games at home — and fans got their money’s worth for Game 3.
Noah Cappon, who tagged along with Feridooni, said energy was high among the diehard fans who stuck around, which was part of what kept them there until the end of the game.
"It's still worth it even though we have to get up in a few hours," Cappon said.
Some fans online questioned whether it was worth staying up.
Blue Jays fans weren't completely demoralized though. Adam Yang and Cristian Gonzalez said watching at Rogers Centre felt like attending two baseball games in one, given how long the game ran. They said the atmosphere was electric.
"This [is] the closest … we've been to a game without going to an actual game. It's the same vibe," Yang said.
The two men, born and raised in Toronto and lifelong Blue Jays fans, stayed until the last out. Gonzalez said his father was also in tow earlier in the game, but left a little early. It’s hard to blame him.
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This First Person column is the experience of Mehdi M. Kashani, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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