Shohei Ohtani finally boarded that plane to Toronto, but he was carrying Los Angeles Dodgers gear with the goal of defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. That isn't exactly what Blue Jays fans envisioned when it was reported that Ohtani was aboard a flight to Toronto during the 2023 offseason as a free agent. It is, though, what they envisioned after Ohtani spurned them for Los Angeles.
Once Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, Blue Jays fans wanted nothing more than to watch their team beat him on this stage. No matter how polite Ohtani was when speaking about the organization, Blue Jays fans would have none of it. They booed him relentlessly in his visit to Toronto last season, and weren't shy when it came to letting their feelings known in the 2025 World Series opener.
Blue Jays faithful with the "We don't need you" chant to Shohei Ohtani pic.twitter.com/VaIyBnV92b
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 25, 2025
In Game 1, at least, this was very true. Ohtani went deep earlier in the game and drew a walk in that at-bat in the ninth, but that didn't come close to mattering. The Jays won this game 11-4, taking a 1-0 series lead. This best-of-seven series is far from over, but again, so far, Jays fans have all of the bragging rights.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Blue Jays did not, in fact, need Shohei Ohtani in Game 1
Nobody is going to sit here and say that the Jays missing out on Shohei Ohtani was a good thing. I mean, Ohtani is, objectively, the best player in the world — and arguably the best player ever with his ability to both hit and pitch at a superstar level.
With that being said, though, the Jays didn't get here by accident. They won 94 regular-season games, one more than the Dodgers, allowing them to get home-field advantage in the World Series. Even with Ohtani doing his thing against them, they still won this game comfortably. Who knows, maybe Ohtani will have Tungsten Arm O'Doyle moments in this series as the Jays win it all.
It's also important to point out that an Ohtani deal might've wound up costing the Jays the biggest reason why they were able to win the pennant to begin with.
Signing Shohei Ohtani could've cost the Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Vibes were at an all-time low for the Jays entering this year, coming off a brutal 74-win campaign in 2024 and with no extension in sight for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entering his final year of club control. But it felt as if, from the moment Guerrero signed his 14-year, $500 million extension, everything changed.
The Blue Jays took off after a sluggish start, won the AL East and wound up winning the American League as a whole. Guerrero Jr. having a postseason for the ages is the reason they've made it this far. I'm not sure they would've won the ALDS, let alone the pennant, without Guerrero.
Is Ohtani the better player? Of course. Signing him for $700 million, though, might've resulted in ownership being unwilling to pony up for Guerrero Jr. In that case, as great as Ohtani is, any Jays fan would take their hometown hero over Ohtani right now. Sorry, not sorry. Game 1 further validated that, and Blue Jays fans let Ohtani know exactly how they feel about him.