Blue Jays fans nervous, excited amid playoff push

As the Toronto Blue Jays look to win it all this post-season, some fans say their nervousness and cautious excitement for the playoffs are accompanied by another win — the community and connection they've found amid the team's success.

TORONTO – As the Toronto Blue Jays look to win it all this post-season, some fans say their nervousness and cautious excitement for the playoffs are accompanied by another win — the community and connection they’ve found amid the team’s success.

Sunday saw Toronto clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Kansas City Royals, but the Jays are still feeling the pressure with five regular season games left. Toronto’s seeding in the post-season is top of mind for the teams and fans alike, with the top two division leaders getting a bye to the American League Division Series.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Toronto led the American League East by just one game over the Yankees after the Jays fell to the Red Sox the night before. It’s got fans like Jonathan Rajsky on the edge of their seat.

“Everybody who’s been a fan has been cautiously optimistic,” said Rajsky. “In light of some the collapses we’ve seen with the Jays, I’m nervous. I’m biting my nails through every game for sure.”

But fans of the Toronto team say the playoff run means more than just a push for a pennant. It’s about connecting with others during those nail-biting moments, they say.

For Rajsky, that means texting his friends back and forth through every inning, “whether it’s in excitement or in frustration.”

“I feel that Toronto fans are diehard and know a lot more about baseball than I think are given credit for, and that it really is a community and a family thing,” said Rajsky. “You’re not just an individual watching a ball game. It’s the feeling of we’re all in this together.”

That rings true for Scott Belford, who described himself as a “glass half full kind of guy” when asked about the Jays’ fight this week for the AL East title. Belford, who hosts Blue Jays podcast “The Walkoff,” said he thinks the Jays have a real shot at winning and it feels different from their legendary post-season run in 2015 and 2016.