How Blue Jays fans are getting screwed by Apple TV at the most exciting time in close to a decade
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Coast-to-coast, viewers have been captivated by the team's four-game winning streak — including three in a row over the New York Yankees heading into Thursday's series finale — a run that has given them a share of first place in the American League East with the Bronx Bombers.
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There is still an afterglow from Tuesday's brilliant Canada Day show that not only resulted in a resounding 12-5 win over the Yankees, but featured the piece de resistance renaissance of George Springer, who hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in seven.
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So what better way to welcome the first true weekend of summer by tuning in to Friday night's first of three against the Los Angeles Angeles, right? Surely Sportsnet, the home of the majority of Jays broadcasts is reading to feast on one of its highest ratings of the year, right?
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Nope.
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You guess it, Friday is the Jays first intrusion of Apple TV of the second half of the season, a blight that Toronto fans tend to take harder than other markets around the league.
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This will be the Jays third appearance on Apple TV, a semi-regular annoyance for not only the Jays fan base — which blessed with a coast-to-coast audience draws significantly bigger audiences than every team in baseball for its regular telecasts — but for Sportsnet itself.
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Remember Rogers Communications owns both the Jays and the network, a synergy that is an ideal mix for both parties as the baseball team regularly draws more than a million viewers. With the team taking a 48-38 record into Thursday's against the Yankees, they've suddenly renewed the optimism that dominated in the summer of 2015 and 2016 when the team was such a hot commodity.
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It's the second occasion this season that the Apple TV show will roll into town at a terrible time for Sportsnet. The first was just three games into the season and denied the network of its first prime time telecast of the season.
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It's not a stretch to suggest that Friday's contest against the Angels would be one of the most anticipated of the season, given the weekend slot and the events of the last week and more.
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Remember that once we move through July 1, Canada becomes a captivated nation of baseball fans. The Stanley Cup has been awarded, NHL's free agent frenzy season is mostly in the past and it's baseball time.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Surging Blue Jays relying on each other to get the job done
TORONTO – After an emotional four-game sweep of the visiting New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays could have easily experienced the old hangover effect. But instead of a letdown, the Blue Jays (50-38) pulled out a thrilling 4-3 win in 10 innings against the Los Angeles Angels (43-44) to extend their American League East lead to two games as both the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays lost on Friday. 'I think it would have been easy to have a little bit of a letdown,' Toronto manager John Schneider said after his team expanded its win streak to a season-high six games and highlighted how there have been different players at different times who have stepped up. 'I talk about it a lot that these guys don't care who it is, and they don't care how we do it. That is a really good quality to have when you're playing every single night for 16 straight days like we're in the middle of.' In the series opener against the visiting Angels, Schneider received a strong outing from starter Eric Lauer, aggressive base running and a perfect bunt from Ernie Clement that resulted in the walk-off run. Clement laid down a bunt on the third-base side of the mound. Angels reliever Sam Bachman hurried to cross over the mound from the other side to field the bunt. As a result, he rushed his throw high as Clement sped down the line. This enabled automatic runner Myles Straw to score the winning run from second base. Earlier, in a three-run sixth inning, George Springer aggressively went from first to third on a Bo Bichette single to left field. Springer then scored on shortstop Zach Neto's throwing error on a bouncer up the middle from Addison Barger. 'You need to have everything like we had tonight,' Schneider said. The Blue Jays reached 50 wins in their 88th game, a feat they haven't accomplished since 1992 when they went on to win the first of back-to-back World Series titles. Clement believes the closeness of the Blue Jays players and coaching staff has transferred into their 34-18 run since May 8. Only the Houston Astros have been better during this stretch with a 35-17 clip. 'We just keep relying on each other,' Clement said. 'It's all about relying on each other and picking each other up.' Bichette returned to the lineup on Friday after being limited to one pinch-hit appearance in the Yankees series because of a sore knee. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sat out Friday's game before 30,119 at Rogers Centre after fouling off a pitch on his right foot in the sixth inning of the series finale against the Yankees on Thursday. Meanwhile, Lauer didn't register the win after Jo Adell greeted Toronto reliever Nick Sandlin with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. But the lefty did check in with his first quality start since April 19, 2023, when he pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers. 'Winning is fun,' the 30-year-old Lauer said. 'Like I said before we never feel we're out of a game. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.' Good things are happening to the Blue Jays at home, too. The win Friday improved their record at Rogers Centre to 30-16, third-best in the American League behind the Astros (32-14) and the Detroit Tigers (30-14). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Jays rely on each other to get the job done
TORONTO – After an emotional four-game sweep of the visiting New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays could have easily experienced the old hangover effect. But instead of a letdown, the Blue Jays (50-38) pulled out a thrilling 4-3 win in 10 innings against the Los Angeles Angels (43-44) to extend their American League East lead to two games as both the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays lost on Friday. 'I think it would have been easy to have a little bit of a letdown,' Toronto manager John Schneider said after his team expanded its win streak to a season-high six games and highlighted how there have been different players at different times who have stepped up. 'I talk about it a lot that these guys don't care who it is, and they don't care how we do it. That is a really good quality to have when you're playing every single night for 16 straight days like we're in the middle of.' Story continues below advertisement In the series opener against the visiting Angels, Schneider received a strong outing from starter Eric Lauer, aggressive base running and a perfect bunt from Ernie Clement that resulted in the walk-off run. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Clement laid down a bunt on the third-base side of the mound. Angels reliever Sam Bachman hurried to cross over the mound from the other side to field the bunt. As a result, he rushed his throw high as Clement sped down the line. This enabled automatic runner Myles Straw to score the winning run from second base. Earlier, in a three-run sixth inning, George Springer aggressively went from first to third on a Bo Bichette single to left field. Springer then scored on shortstop Zach Neto's throwing error on a bouncer up the middle from Addison Barger. Story continues below advertisement 'You need to have everything like we had tonight,' Schneider said. The Blue Jays reached 50 wins in their 88th game, a feat they haven't accomplished since 1992 when they went on to win the first of back-to-back World Series titles. Clement believes the closeness of the Blue Jays players and coaching staff has transferred into their 34-18 run since May 8. Only the Houston Astros have been better during this stretch with a 35-17 clip. 'We just keep relying on each other,' Clement said. 'It's all about relying on each other and picking each other up.' Bichette returned to the lineup on Friday after being limited to one pinch-hit appearance in the Yankees series because of a sore knee. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sat out Friday's game before 30,119 at Rogers Centre after fouling off a pitch on his right foot in the sixth inning of the series finale against the Yankees on Thursday. Meanwhile, Lauer didn't register the win after Jo Adell greeted Toronto reliever Nick Sandlin with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. But the lefty did check in with his first quality start since April 19, 2023, when he pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers. 'Winning is fun,' the 30-year-old Lauer said. 'Like I said before we never feel we're out of a game. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.' Story continues below advertisement Good things are happening to the Blue Jays at home, too. The win Friday improved their record at Rogers Centre to 30-16, third-best in the American League behind the Astros (32-14) and the Detroit Tigers (30-14). This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Blue Jays use walk-off error to subdue Angels to remain atop AL East
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was given the night off because of a sore foot sustained when the New York Yankees were in town. Article content No one expressed any worry when word spread prior to Friday night's first pitch against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Article content Article content As it turned out, both the Jays and Angels put their best foot forward on a night dripping with drama and late-game suspense. Article content Not much separated the teams through nine innings, each scoring three runs on five hits, each committing one error. Article content The one difference involved L.A. leaving six runners on base compared to two by the Jays. Article content In extra innings, the Angels failed to score in the 10th inning. Article content Vlad Jr. was on deck in the home half, but his bat wasn't required because the Jays would win, 4-3, on a throwing error. Article content A walk-off error to maintain a grip on first in the AL East wasn't something anyone could have envisioned, but the Jays will take a win any way they can get it. Article content A revamped Jays lineup did feature the return of Bo Bichette, who hurt his knee during the warmups prior to the series opener against the Yankees. Article content Article content Springer had a series for the ages against the Bronx Bombers, playing at a level that earned him World Series MVP with Houston. Article content In fact, it was Springer who produced the Jays' first hit off Angels starter Kyle Hendricks. Article content The Jays would get the game's first runner at third after Will Wagner led off the sixth inning with a double. Article content A Tyler Heineman sac bunt advanced Wagner, who would score on a Gimenez single. Article content Article content Given the electric atmosphere of the previous four games, a letdown was inevitable. Article content Article content When he was pulled, Hendricks had thrown a total of 82 pitches. Article content Lauer's pitching was clearly the story on the night. Article content Then came the home half of the sixth when the Jays began to flex their muscles, scoring three runs and aided by an Angels error. Article content Whether it was Bichette's absence during the Yankees series, the continued absence of Daulton Varsho (hamstring) and Anthony Santander (shoulder), the Jays have kept moving along.
