They’re the best two words in all of sports.
“We cashed.”
Of course, “Game 7” is up there too.
For a moment, it looked like I might not get much sleep after a rough start to last night’s ALCS finale.
I had already received the “I told you so” messages after Cal Raleigh’s anytime home run prop cashed to give the Seattle Mariners a 3-1 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning.
Transparently, I did bet Raleigh anytime home run, but that was an emotional hedge in a high-stakes game at the advice of some buddies in our gambling group chat.
At the time, I felt a sense of relief that a Seattle win would impact my heart but not my FanDuel balance.
I can promise you that nobody in the group chat expected what happened next.
The Blue Jays could be found as high as +560 to win Game 7 down 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh.
That’s when Addison Barger walked and Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled to put runners on first and second with none out.
A sacrifice bunt by Andres Gimenez advanced the runners to second and third with one out.
None of us knew it at the time, but George Springer was about to hit the home run that would send Toronto to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
Springer’s 381-foot blast to left centre scored three and propelled the Blue Jays to a 4-3 victory over Seattle.
Springer became just the second player in MLB history to hit a go-ahead home run when down multiple runs in the seventh inning or later in a winner-take-all playoff game.
It was his 23rd career postseason home run, tying Kyle Schwarber for the third-most all-time behind only Manny Ramirez (29) and Jose Altuve (27).
Toronto became just the fourth team in MLB history to win a best-of-7 playoff series after losing the first two games at home.
The Blue Jays defied the odds once again to reach the biggest stage in baseball.
They’ll need to beat the odds one more time to win it all.
Let’s take a closer look at FanDuel’s updated World Series numbers in a very memorable edition of Morning Coffee for Tuesday October 21st, 2025.
Blue Jays Defy the Odds to Advance to the World Series for the First Time Since 1993
The Blue Jays to win the World Series is +184 at FanDuel.
That number represents a 35.2 per cent implied chance.
If you’re searching for a reason to believe that Toronto can pull off one final upset on the game’s biggest stage, I must warn you about the wagers I have in pocket.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were my pre-season pick to win the World Series in this column.
I doubled down on the Dodgers to win it all at +700 in this column prior to the start of the postseason.
After recommending plays on LA to beat the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Milwaukee Brewers on their road to the World Series, I can’t tell you that anything I’ve seen from them in these playoffs has changed my mind about the best team in baseball.
In Monday morning’s column, I gave out Blue Jays money line as a FanDuel Best Bet.
That made last night’s unforgettable comeback that much more fun to watch.
I’m not going to hedge my bets on the Dodgers to win it all this morning.
However, I will point out that Toronto has repeatedly defied the odds on the road to the World Series.
It’s easy to forget now, but the Blue Jays were +6500 to win the World Series at FanDuel on MLB Opening Day.
While LA was the favourite at the time, only three AL teams had longer odds to win it all than Toronto.
Fast-forward to the middle of May, and the Blue Jays could be found as high as +10000 to win the World Series at FanDuel.
Toronto would catch fire at the end of the month and shock the baseball world by finishing with the best record in the American League.
Despite their regular season success, the Blue Jays were still considered a long shot to reach the World Series.
Of course, that outlook changed when Toronto dominated the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
However, after going down 2-0 to the Mariners in the ALCS, the Blue Jays could be found as high as +450 just to reach the World Series at FanDuel.
Once again, Toronto defied the odds with upset wins in Games 3 and 4 of the ALCS in Seattle.
After dropping Game 5, the Blue Jays needed to win back-to-back games at home to avoid elimination.
Toronto responded with a dominant 6-2 win in Game 6 to set the stage for the winner-take-all finale.
We all know what happened in Game 7.
In addition to the resilience that they’ve demonstrated trailing both in games and in the series, Blue Jays fans can also hope their team benefits from home field advantage.
Toronto also needs its best players to continue to shine on the biggest stage.
Shohei Ohtani is an obvious World Series MVP favourite.
Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow have been electric on the mound so far this postseason.
Meanwhile, Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez lead a talented and deep group.
The Blue Jays pitching staff will be in tough to slow down a Dodgers offence that has averaged 4.3 runs per game.
The good news is that they have plenty of weapons of their own leading an offence that has led the majors with an average of 6.0 runs per game this postseason.
Springer was the hero for Toronto in Game 7 of the ALCS.
Vladdy Guerrero Jr. has already matched the franchise record for the most home runs in a single postseason with six.
Guerrero is the second choice to win World Series MVP at +600 at FanDuel.
Springer is the third choice to win that award at +1000 – the same odds as Freeman.
The Blue Jays will also need others to step up and seize the moment.
The good news is that help is on the way.
The stage is set for players like Barger, Gimenez, Daulton Varsho or Alejandro Kirk to forge their Canadian Heritage Moment.
It will be integral for Toronto to strike first in the series.
Yes, the Blue Jays rallied to beat the Mariners in seven in the ALCS after dropping the first two games at home.
That doesn’t mean they can afford to go down 2-0 to LA.
Toronto is +130 to pull off the upset win in Game 1.
The Blue Jays will more than likely be an underdog once again in Game 2 of the World Series, regardless of what happens in the opener.
If they can at least secure a split at home, Toronto would need one win in LA to bring the series back north of the border for a Game 6.
After watching the Dodgers go a combined 9-1 against the Reds, Phillies, and Brewers on their road to the World Series, ensuring this series ends on Canadian soil would be a huge win for the Blue Jays.
At least at that point, the complexion of the World Series would look a lot different than it looks right now.
The Dodgers are a heavy favourite to win it all at -220.
I can’t bring myself to hedge with the Blue Jays just yet.
That doesn’t mean I won’t be cheering for Toronto.
I didn’t know it at the time, but all those bets on LA to win the World Series have turned into one of my biggest emotional hedges ever.
Hopefully, the Blue Jays can defy the odds once again and force me to hedge my bets on the Dodgers with one final FanDuel World Series winner ticket.
