The Current - How the Vancouver Canadians helped build this Blue Jays team

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

The Toronto Blue Jays are leading the playoffs 2-1, but did this road to the World Series start in Vancouver? The Jays' minor league team, The Vancouver Canadians have a lot of alumni on this current roster. The team's broadcaster, Tyler Zickel tells us about stars like Davis Schneider and Trey Yesavage and why don't get it twisted, Vancouver is indeed a baseball town.

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Guerrero's getting away. The game started with so much promise for the Toronto Blue Jays in New York last night and the face-off that could have won them the American League Division Series in a sweep, six runs early in the game. The Yankees could not possibly catch up. Some people, including your correspondent, went to bed thinking it's over and done with. And then things took a turn. High in the air, deep down the left field line, and it's off the foul board.

a three-run homer, and the game is tied. The best he can't. Chisholm drills it to deep right, and the Yankees have the read. Judge will tag, and it's 9 to 6. Diving stop at third by Carriero. He'll pull it out, and that's the ball game. That's the ball game, indeed. With a 9-6 loss, the Blue Jays returned to Yankee Stadium tonight for game four,

another chance to move ahead for a team that has gathered fans from across this country this season. They may be the Toronto Blue Jays, but manager John Schneider believes there's more to it than that. It's cool to say, you know, that you're playing for a country. You know, it's, um, east coast to West Coast. Everyone's pulling for this team, you know, it's, um, it's something

that we don't take for granted, for sure. All over on the West Coast is this country's only other pro baseball team. The Vancouver Canadians, they are the Blue Jays minor league affiliate, have been a big part of growing some of this year's top stars. Tyler Zickle is the broadcaster for the Vancouver Canadians. Tyler, good morning.

Matt, good morning. Coming to you from Portland, Oregon, no gold in my office. No gold there. We'll get to your own baseball allegiances in just a moment. But what happened last night? It seemed like things were rolling, and then the wheels fell off for the Toronto Blue Jays. Well, I hate to lead off our conversation with a cliche, but that is baseball. It's just a classic case of postseason baseball where you get out early, but you got to play

nine innings, 27 outs, and the Yankees, nothing to laugh at because they're, They're in this position for a reason. And so they got to use their home fans. And, of course, we saw what Aaron Judge was able to do. The Blue Jays got judged last night, both at the plate and in the outfield. But they took a punch, and now we'll see how John Schneider's Club responds. Are you worried? The cliche, another cliche, is that if you have, you know, the devil down on the mat with your foot on the devil's neck, you do not let the devil breathe.

You try to extinguish the evil empire before they can get up off the mat. Are you worried? I'm not worried. I think this is an opportunity tonight for these Blue Jays to be able to show, look, we are legit, we're not going to cruise to a World Series title. You're going to take your lumps in the course of the baseball playoffs. And I think last night's loss in the long run, should the Blue Jays go all the way and hoist the trophy at the end of it all, they're going to look back at last night's game and say that was a big turning point in the postseason. We got one on the chin. The devil tried to use one of his pitchforks to try and stab us, but we were able to pull it out and continue to. to play. How do the Vancouver Canadians fit into this organization, the Toronto Blue Jays organization? Well, the Canadians and the Blue Jays have been partners since 2011. That was the first year of what was then called a player development contract. The language has changed over the last 14 years, but the point of the matter is that this is a long relationship between two bastions of Canadian baseball. We like to hold it down on the West Coast at historic Rogersfield

at Nat Bailey Stadium. And of course, the Blue Jays doing their things. thing on the East Coast and for the entire country from the Rogers Center. So what we do, starting in 2011, the Blue Js send us their players. At the time, it was rookie ball, which is the lowest rung of the minor league ladder, which in fact does not exist anymore. And these days, it's high A, three rungs down from the big leagues. And so every year, they send us players and coaches and staff. We are able to provide the facilities. And of course, we get the fans into our ballpark and they travel around the Pacific Northwest playing other teams. And from there, they develop in high A, as the level is called these days.

days and will matriculate through the rest of the ranks of the minors to get to the major leagues. John Schneider is a former Canadian, so is Davis Schneider, Addison Barger, Mason Flew Hardy, and of course Sunday's hero, Trey I Savage. He was pitching for the Canadians back in May of this year. First time that's ever happened to guys pitch for the Canadians and then gone on to pitch for the Blue Jays, especially in the playoffs in the same calendar season. And now he is a hero for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Have a listen to Trey Savage speaking about his family. This is an incredible moment. speaking about his family after he helped the Jays win game two of this series against the Yankees. Tell me what's going through your mind, knowing that you've got the most important people in your lives here to watch this historic performance. You're my people. For the reason I'm here right now. I couldn't love them. more.

Mom, dad, Cole, Chase, you're at college. I love you guys. Tell me about Trey Savage and what he meant to the Canadians. You watch that moment and you watch his parents and his brother in the stands. They're crying. You're crying. It's amazing. That is certainly one of those moments for me as a lifelong baseball fan that will forever give

me chills because for me that's what it's all about. Trey, of course, doing so well in that game on Sunday, having a magical 2025, but there is no doubt he knows that his family is the wind on which he's able to flap his wings. And so when we got to meet Trey back at the end, or rather the beginning of May, he left us at the beginning of June, only made four starts for us as the Vancouver Canadiens before continuing up through the ranks. He always seemed to have a sense of poise, a sense of calm, and a sense of focus and purpose. This is a guy with terrific talent, which we all saw on display on the biggest stage on Sunday. He had a goal and a vision.

He knew he wanted to get as far as he could this season. And as much as he enjoyed being a Vancouver Canadian and being a great teammate, his teammates give him rave reviews for being a great guy in the dugout, the clubhouse, the team bus, the hotel, etc. Well, you could tell that he had his sights set on things even bigger than being the best Vancouver Canadiens pitcher this year. And the truth bore out as what we saw on Sunday. Tell me a story about somebody else that you have worked alongside who has been part of that club and has moved on through the ranks to the big leagues. Well, I'll tell you what, John Schneider, the skipper, when we were working together back in 2018,

I used to work for the AA affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. That 2018 season was pretty special because that was when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made his double A debut. He came up, of course, with Bo Bichette, who's currently hurt, but hoping to get Bo back should the Blue Jays punch their ticket to the next round. And there were other big leaguers on that team as well. You may remember Jordan Romano, the electric closer who pitched for the Blue Jays for a few seasons, among many others. Well, John Schneider, in the postseason that year, they had a 2-0 series lead over the Yankees

affiliate from Trenton. Irony, of course, life is a circle and so is a baseball. And so Schneider, wanting to ride the momentum of his team, wanted to make sure that game was played on that rainy night in Trenton, New Jersey seven years ago. Well, the New Jersey, or I should say the Yankees affiliate did not want to play the game. wanted to snatch some momentum back so their manager was trying to politic with the umpires and going back and forth and in my mind's eye i can still see it's 10 p.m eastern time there's john schneider in the midst of trenton new jersey walking around the field pointing out areas that look

good to play so john continued to advocate hey we're going to play this game tonight my team is playing really well i want to keep the ball rolling the game didn't start until after 11 p.m. eastern time the clinching out to move the fisher cats on to the next round came after 1 a.m. We had a terrific celebration in the clubhouse, and the Fishercats did not lose another game en route to sweeping the Eastern League playoffs and hoisting an Eastern League title. So John Schneider knows how to win, and he knows how to advocate for his players. I have never seen a manager or coach two-hand spike, a helmet like I saw John do, after a controversial call at home plate and what should have been a walk-off double for Cabin Bigeo,

who also played for the Blue Jays of late in that 2018 season, John Schneider, a player's first manager, and off the field, we've had plenty of laughs over the years, a guy that I am rooting for, both personally and professionally, and the right guy for this Blue Jays job, no matter what some of the internet critics may say, and no matter how this season finishes up, I think we can look back at 2025. That's a big time feather in John's cap. He says this is Canada's team. What does this playoff run do you think mean for baseball coast to coast to coast?

Well, this is something that I've been a little late to the party on as an American calling games for the only minor league affiliation. team in Canada, the Vancouver Canadiens. I have really come to learn and love Canadian baseball and how much Canada loves the game. Of course, down here in America, we think, oh, Canada hockey, but baseball huge and up and coming. And it's clear already with the fervent fandom we've seen from coast to coast during this Blue Jay season and this Blue Jay's playoff run, it is so important for the Toronto Blue Jays to have success for the entire country. And on a much smaller level, we at the Vancouver Canadians take great pride in being a fraction micro part of the Blue Jay story. But we certainly are very proud of our status and certainly very proud of our building.

75 years next year, we'll celebrate historic Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. So the importance of baseball to Canada and what's going on right now with Toronto, I think is indicative of how great this country feels about the game of baseball. Okay, I have to let you go, but we have to talk about you, you an American. You are a, you're a fan of the San Diego Padres, is that right? That's right. I grew up, born and raised in San Diego. So luckily, with the Padres getting bounced early in the playoffs this year, I did not have to choose between my two children, Blue Jays and Padres in the World Series, but that choice may come my way someday. I was going to give you condolences, but you seem to have just moved on past that wildcard

loss. And now, are you all in? Are you a Jay's fan? Are you allowed to do that as a broadcaster or can you just is your heart right there tell me a little bit about who you're pulling for i'll tell you what as the blue jays social media has been saying i hashtag want it all as it relates to the blue jays this is my this was my eighth season in the blue jays organization i've gotten to know these players and staff members and executives over what has been nearly 10 years associated with toronto and so for me it's both professional and personal now podres of course near and dear to my heart that's my team but the blue jays have become not just my professional team getting to know these guys and getting to know the organization over nearly the last 10 years.

I am all in on the blue jays. All of my poker chips are blue and they're in the center of the table. And you're confident about tonight at the very least. I mean, again, there's a lot of people. Toronto Sports has a tradition sometimes of the wheels falling off and the car just ending up in the ditch upside down. You are confident that this is going to roll on. Yes, and you have to be. Of course, you don't like getting the loss last night. But again, in the postseason across major league baseball, you have to be tested. And now the Blue Jays will see how they show up today. If they can show up and come out on top and move on to the American League Championship Series, that for me will be a big sign that this team has what it takes to go all the way.

And if the game doesn't go their way tonight, that's why they play five games in the round and bring it back to the Rogers Center, let the home fans make an impact and allow this team, even if they do take a couple more punches or a couple of stabs from the devil's pitchfork to still find a way to get to the next part of the round. Tyler, great to talk to you. Thank you very much. My pleasure, Matt. Go Blue Jays.

Tyler Zickle is the broadcaster for the Vancouver Canadiens. It's the minor league baseball team, the farm team for the Toronto Blue Jays. This has been the current podcast. You can hear our show Monday to Friday on CBC Radio 1 at 8.30 a.m. At all time zones, or you can also listen online at cbc.ca. Or on the CBC Listen app or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Matt Galloway. Thanks for listening.

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