A museum in St. Marys has the home-field advantage as the Toronto Blue Jays continue to slug it out with the L.A. Dodgers in the World Series. The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame can be found on Church Street South and, though they are only open for pre-booked visits until April 30, the excitement for the sport among Canadian fans is palpable. From walk-off home runs to a rookie pitcher taking the mound at the World Series, the Blue Jays have already made history according to Scott Crawford, the director of operations at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. “You can’t beat the World Series,” he said. “It’s the best two teams in baseball.” He said the success of the Jays is a boon overall for the sport. “The Blue Jays are drawing that fanbase back in and jumping on the bandwagon, and people are loving it.” For seasoned fans and new enthusiasts alike, the museum offers a Canadian perspective on ‘America’s pastime.’ “This is the home plate Joe Carter stepped on when he won the 1993 World Series,” Crawford said of one exhibit. “It’s the official plate that he donated to us at his induction. Then the helmet he wore during the World Series as well and that fell off his head as he’s rounding first base and his first base coach picked it up. Now we have it in our collection.” The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games during the 1993 World Series. This year marks the first time since that fateful run that the Blue Jays have made it back to the World Series. The matchup is already full of potentially historic moments. “Addison Barger in Game 1 – first pinch-hit grand slam in the World Series,” suggested Lindsay Earle, care of collections supervisor at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. “We had a game watch party here that night and the director and I looked at each other and said, ‘I wonder how many people have done that before?’ Then it turned out, nobody [had]. We want to capture moments like that where history has been made and individual players are setting records, doing incredible things.” On Monday night, the Blue Jays and Dodgers left another mark on the history books. At a runtime of six hours and 39 minutes, the game tied the record set by the L.A. Dodgers and Red Sox in 2018 for the longest game in World Series history. Both games made it to 18 innings and both were also the third game in their respective series. Despite some tired faces Tuesday morning, its clear fans are eager for more action. “It’s cool to wear a Blue Jays T-shirt again because the Jays are going so well,” Crawford said. “That’s what you want. You want the 10-year-old kid falling in love with the game and loving the Blue Jays. No matter who their favourite player is on the Jays, it doesn’t matter – just love the Blue Jays and jump on the bandwagon and stay on it.” Tours for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame can be booked online. Meanwhile, fans across Waterloo Region will continue to gather at watch parties as Game 4 gets underway at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
