The Current - Blue Jays are one win away from the championship title

Episode Date: October 31, 2025

One victory away from winning the championship. Buck Martinez, Blue Jays announcer and former Jays catcher talks about Game 6 and what the team needs to do to win the World Series. And how Canadian baseball fans are preparing for the big game, including Karla Courtney — who’s been knitting a Blue Jays post-season sweater, but only on game days.

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Hello, I'm Matt Galloway, and this is the current podcast. And the Blue Jays are headed home, one win from a championship. The sound of the Toronto Blue Jays winning Game 5 at Dodgers Stadium in L.A. Wednesday night. That's given them a 3-2 lead in the World Series. They're back in Toronto for game six tonight at the Rogers Center, a game that could win them the championship. something the team and the country hasn't experienced in 32 years. Buck Martinez was in L.A. calling those games, and you'll hear his iconic voice again tonight.

He's the longtime Blue Jays broadcaster. And before that, the team's manager and catcher. Buck, good morning. Good morning, Kasser. How are you? I'm great. I'm really excited to be talking to you on a day like this. And I know I'm not the only one who is excited. Jay's manager, John Schneider, said, I can't wait to see what the Rogers Center is going to look, feel,

and sound like tonight. What feeling are you expecting in there? Well, you know what? We had the experience of doing this before in 92 and 93 when they went back-to-back World Series championships. But Roger Stenner is a completely different ballpark now. The renovations and it's truly turned into a baseball stadium and the fans have been phenomenal. These fans might be the best fans in all of baseball, supporting their team no matter where they play. We saw a, bunch of fans in L.A. from all across Canada, they flew down there to support their team, and I'm thinking that tonight's going to be one of the greatest nights in the history of Blue Jays baseball when these fans turned out at Rogers Center for game six.

Giving me some goosebumps there, Buck. So that's the fans. But what about the Jays performance in L.A. this week? What was your takeaway from that? Well, you know what? The Jays have been decided underdogs. In all three of these matches, first with the Yankees, then with the Mariners, and now with the Dodgers. but they don't believe in any of that stuff. They believe in each other, and they believe in themselves. But, you know, Dodger Stadium has been around since the 60s, and there's been some phenomenal games played there,

some Hall of Famers have played there. And when you go to Dodgers Stadium, it's like baseball nirvana. It's just a wonderful shrine of baseball, and the Blue Jays went into the Dodgers ballpark and won two out of three. And they very easily could have won all three in that 18-in-game. It was just a matter of. of one swing of the bat. So they outplayed the Dodgers in every aspect of that game. All three games, they really outplayed the Dodgers. And I think they're going to continue to do that.

You know, tonight, L.A. has a terrific pitcher in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He's historically coming off a back-to-back complete game efforts in the postseason. It's going to be a tough assignment, but the Blue Jays have beaten good pitchers all postseason. Trayasavage, the 22-year-old rookie has been on fire this week. Let's listen to what he had to say about the team earlier this week. It's been a crazy year, but being surrounded by vets is a great thing for the future of my career. They've treated me the best I could have ever asked for. So going forward with other rookies that come up, I'm going to remember how I was treated when I got here.

What do you make of Trayasavage and how the rest of the Jays have embraced him? he's the most impressive 22 year old they've ever been around he's a phenomenal young man not only is he an outstanding pitcher but his character is off the chart you know before the start of his first game against the yankees he made the statement i was built for this and he's backed it up every opportunity he's had uh he's just a wonderful young man he's humble he's very serious about his trade uh in his first game he's against the Dodgers. I don't think the Dodgers were very impressed because he didn't have his great step. They didn't have a split-finger fastball, and they saw what Trayasavich is all about in game five. You know, this kid took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Yankees in his first postseason to start and struck out 11 Yankees. He's real, but more importantly, he's a terrific young man at 22 years old,

and his future is just no telling where it's going to end up. The Jays have been around since 1977. They have two World Series titles. They're one of the best teams in the league this year, but they still get called underdogs south of the border. How do you make sense of that? Well, I don't think people pay attention to the boot jays as much as we do. And, you know, I have been talking, of course,

with national media folks all throughout this October. And, you know, I keep saying these boot jays are good. These bouchers are good. Be careful for what you're right. and time and time again they've come up to me and they've said you're right they are good and they're starting to understand that this is a baseball team this is not a team full of stars it's a baseball team everybody on the team believes that they're going to have a moment to win a game to help out a teammate to advance a runner to do whatever it takes to win a game and i give all that

credit to john schneider you know for me john snider reminds me an awful lot of bobby cox the manager that I played for, Hall of Fame manager, one of the best managers that's ever stepped on to a baseball field. And John Snyder has a lot of his character. He does a lot of the same things that Bobby did during his career, and he's been phenomenal. You talk about them working as a team. They're not just a team, of course.

They really, I mean, being Canada's team has taken on a whole new meaning at this time. You talk to the players a lot. What does being on Canada's team mean to them? It means everything in the world. Catherine. It's, uh, they, they know that they don't know, not only do they represent Toronto and Ontario, they represent the entire nation. And they've seen that when they play in Seattle, when they play in Chicago, when they

play in Detroit, the Lujay fans are there constantly. And it's just been a wonderful feeling. And, you know, I experienced that as a player. When I first came in 1989, I thought, what the heck am I going to do in Toronto? And now, here I am in 2025. And this is the best baseball. atmosphere I've ever seen. When people come to Toronto, you remember a few years ago, Mark Burley came kicking and screaming from the trade from Miami. And within three weeks, he was

recruiting people to come to Toronto. He said, I'm two minutes from my couch after a ball game. The fans are phenomenal. The facilities are phenomenal. And now we see time and time again, free agents coming here. You know, Mark Burley came here and now Young Jen Ryu and now Kevin Gosman and Chris Bassett and all these free agents are coming here. And you know what, if the Bouges don't win in game six, they got Max Scher going to them out in game seven. And that's pretty awesome. Painful to say, though, but, you know, the Dodgers are a heck of a team. How much of a factor you talk about the fans?

How much of a factor do you think the fans can be in tonight's game? Oh, I think they're going to be phenomenal. When Kevin Gosman walks out of the dugout to go to the bullpen and warm up, they're going to give him a standing ovation. And I know that that's just going to fire him up. Not that he needs any more motivation and the opportunity to win a World Series championship, but he'll be fired up. Will you be fired up, Mark Martinez?

How do you manage a moment like this? I'm having so much fun. And, you know, I've been in professional baseball since 1967, and I've had a great opportunity to do a lot of wonderful things, but to be able to broadcast your own team in the World Series is pretty special, and we really appreciate it. Roger Sportsman has done a great job of supporting us, and this has just been a wonderful time for everybody involved in a television broadcast.

I bet. Well, a wonderful time for baseball fans and folks who've just jumped on the bandwagon in this country. We've got a minute left, Buck Martinez, key things to watch. What will you be watching for in tonight's game? I'm going to watch for the Bujay's hitters if they can get to Yamamoto's fastball. He's got a great curveball, a great splitter, but they have to get to his fastball because the other two pitches are almost unhitterable. But, you know, the question is, can you do it three times in a row or is it about to turn?

But another thing that I think is just a relentless nine-man lineup. Everybody in that lineup can beat you, and I think they're going to have to lean on that again tonight. It is just going to be a game for the ages, no matter how it goes. Have fun tonight, Buck Martinez, and go Jays. Thank you very much, Catherine. Great talking with you. Same to you. Buck Martinez is a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays on. SportsNet and former catcher and manager with the team.

The spirit of innovation is deeply ingrained in Canada, and Google is helping Canadians innovate in ways both big and small, from mapping accessible spaces so the disabled community can explore with confidence to unlocking billions in domestic tourism revenue, thousands of Canadian companies are innovating with Google AI. Innovation is Canada's story. Let's tell it together. Find out more at g.co slash Canadian Innovation. As an insurance broker, your customers count on you.

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Contact your dedicated underwriter today. For simple to complex and everything in between, intact insurance. Well, millions of Canadians have been tuning in to watch those broadcast as the Js compete in the World Series, including Carla Courtney. Originally from Toronto, she now calls Brighton, UK home. But when she realized the Jays might make it to the World Series, the lifelong fan, decided to fly back to Canada, she brought something with her. Her knitting. Carla is in our Toronto studio now.

Good morning, Carla. Good morning. How are you? Good. You got your knitting with you? I'm knitting as we're talking right now. I've got to knit for the win today, so. Now, this is allowed under your system because today is a game day.

So you can knit this incredible Blue Jays postseason sweater you've been working on, right? Yes, thank you. Yeah. My rule, as I stated originally, was I would knit only on game days. I mostly was only knitting during games to start because I do have a family and a job. But now that I'm here and we're getting in the pointy end, I have been knitting. I knit on the plane a little bit on the way because that was a game day. I flew in on game six. And I'm knitting now because I still have a sleeve to go one-win-one sleeve. So I've got to try and get through this today. I've seen pictures of this sweater online. You've become a sort of celebrity in your own way because of your sweater. It's beautiful. Can you describe it to people who haven't seen it? So yeah, it's inspired by what's called Fair Isle. So it's a repeated design at the top around your neck that goes down.

And my grandma's from Newfoundland, so she used to knit sweaters in that style. So I just gave it a bit more of a modern look. It's got two zigzags right at the top below your neck. And then it's got a little baseball row of baseballs. and then it's got the Jay's logo on a white background. And it's like it's the powder blue color, so more retro. And then I've got finishing it off with another zigzag, like a darker blue zigzag. Okay.

So why are you doing this, Carla? Why are you knitting and tying it to the Jays like this? When I was little, I mentioned I did learn in Newfoundland. And I spent summers there, I guess, as a form of child care, and I did really like it. And my grandma, my dad grew up on an island called Woody Island, and they had, they reared sheep. didn't have much. They had no electricity. And they, my grandma knit everything. So when I spent summers with her, I knit and I was really into the jays. So I would be knitting and watching the jays. So it's kind of tradition. But then as well, post season is really stressful. And I wanted, and I also was

making a bit of a statement. Like, I want a project that's going to go the distance. So I had knit a little mini sweater for my lobster. I have this lobster in it. And, you know, again, I was going to say it's a stuffed lobster. I can't imagine a lot of my live lobster. So I knit lobsters and that sort of ties again to the Newfoundland heritage. And then I knit him a blue jay sweater. And I thought, oh, this is too easy. The Jays are going in the distance. I need a project that's going to last me a bit longer. So game four against the Yankees, the division, I thought, yeah, I'll cast on this sweater. And I started it like during the game and I was documenting it and got, you know, the top of the collar done. They won. Okay, great. Now Seattle. And then just took off from there.

You've become like a bit of an internet sensation, a media sensation over this whole thing. In fact, you even met the Jay's manager, John Snyder, and you had him do what with the sweater? He kissed it. I have to say, that had nothing to do with, and I don't even think that we have people on the internet knowing about the sweater. But I, but that being said, I was walking to a CVC broadcast, so that's why I was there. And I was walking in front of the Roger Center on Bremner, and he was just standing. And my sister said, that's John Schneider. And I just ran up to him and I maybe gave him a bit of explanation after everything's a bit of a blur.

But essentially, it was a very short interaction and I asked him to kiss the sweater. Why did you ask him to kiss the sweater? I just think it's good luck. Like, it's like, you know, he's, and then, because I have, I also ran, oh, I didn't ran into. So that one was coincidental. But I, so many people have said you have to meet up with the jacked or the yoked jays guy. He's the strong guy who's sitting behind home plate. Mm-hmm. Yeah, the muscle guy.

Yeah, so someone sent me his profile, so I messaged him because what is really funny is that... Your sweater's not going to fit on him. No, no, no, no, no, no. But people are calling him yoked, which is a term for being strong, and I have the yoke of a sweater. Ah, I see. I see. So I thought it was funny. So I met him, and he also did give it a kiss before game one, and he was on the way to game one. So what are you going to do? I mean, I don't want to, we're trying to be very careful here. I don't jinx anything, but whatever happens over the next few days, what's the plan for the sweater when this is all said and done?

I wonder, like, has someone on the internet offered you a whack of money for it, or what happens? Well, they wouldn't get it, so no, they. I originally knit it for me. It's knit to fit me, but that doesn't mean I'm not open to doing something else with it. People have talked about auctioning it off, but then that means one person, even though, you know, the proceeds would go to charity or something like that, but it's still one person then gets it because of money, so I'm not sure I like that idea.

maybe a raffle, maybe I, I don't know if the Jays want it, they can have it. Like, I don't know, because I can knit another one for myself. But this one is pretty special because it has a few markers for me. Like I spilled mustard on it at game six and it does have the little stain. And I dropped it on the ground at Nathan Phillips Square when Barger hit the Grand Slam and there is a little bit of dirt at that spot. So it makes me really happy looking at those things. So I'm not sure.

Yeah, it's really becoming an artifact. Listen, you flew, as we said. back to Canada to watch your team play. What does it mean to you? As a Canadian who lives in the UK, who lives elsewhere in the world, what does it mean to you to see the way the whole country's coming together

to support the Jays? Yeah, it's really fabulous. I think, you know, I've lived outside of Canada for 20 years now. And I think for a lot of us, especially people who were, you know, kind of a coming of age age in 92, 93, when they won, the Jays represent home.

And they represent home so much more for me. It's like amplified because I'm so far away. So I was saying before, the Jays feel like an old friend to me. I'm still really close with my high school friends. It's like a really intense time of your life. And I've always stayed in touch with the Jays, living overseas. I can't watch every game, of course. But when big moments happen like this, you've got to be there, you know.

So this is such a big moment. It's such a special moment. And, yeah, old friends matter to me a lot. And the Jays matter to me a lot. Just lovely. Good luck with the sweater, Carla. Thank you. And have a lot of fun tonight, the whole country.

is certainly going to be watching. I know you will be too. Oh, definitely. Thank you so much. Oh, yeah. I'll be knitting for the win. Bye. Excellent. Nice to meet you, Carla. Thank you. Carla Courtney is a longtime J's fan and is knitting a Blue Jays themed sweater to celebrate this historic postseason. You've been listening to the current podcast. My name is Matt Galloway. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you soon.

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