Best way to end an Opening Day? A Blue Jays walk-off win, of course

TORONTO -- What a way to light the new year on fire.

The Blue Jays, 146 days after losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Dodgers, spilled onto the field to celebrate. They’ve waited so long to celebrate.

Andrés Giménez was the walk-off hero, sending a sellout crowd of 42,728 into a frenzy with a single back up the middle after Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement reached base in front of him with two outs. Just 10 days after winning the World Baseball Classic with Venezuela, Giménez was right back in the middle of a mob on the infield, all of his teammates jumping and screaming around him.

“I’m not going to lie, being a world champion makes you feel different,” Giménez said. “I’m just continuing that same feeling.”

The 3-2 victory was just the second walk-off win on Opening Day in Blue Jays franchise history, and it was Gimenez’s first walk-off hit with Toronto. Immediately after the game, we saw a confidence from Giménez that didn’t come through in 2025, when he battled injuries and hit just .210. This feels contagious for him, the WBC spilling over into a new MLB season, a fresh start.

“It’s the joy and the happiness that we brought to my country,” Giménez said. “A lot of people are happy, so obviously, you feel good because of the happiness of so many people.”

There was something so reaffirming about this win. Manager John Schneider called it a “cool sense of knowing we’ve been here before.” The Blue Jays’ 7-8-9 hitters (Okamoto, Ernie Clement and Giménez) had two hits apiece. These top-to-bottom contributions are what made the 2025 Blue Jays truly great, and this win in Game 1 of the new season proves to them that it wasn’t just a one-year wonder, it’s an identity.

“That’s the definition of a Blue Jays win the last couple months of last season,” Kevin Gausman said, after setting a franchise record with 11 Opening Day strikeouts. “It was nice to see us get right back to it. Timely hitting, great pitching, great defense. That’s what our strengths are. This was fun to watch.”

It capped an emotional night for this ballclub, the dugout full of players and coaches who have felt oddly nostalgic over the past few days. The last time they were on this field, it was the greatest baseball heartbreak of their lives. Frankly, it was one of the greatest baseball heartbreaks we’ve seen. The road back won’t be easy and the 2025 World Series will never leave them, but the only way out of this is to move forward, and what a brilliant first step Friday night was.

Prior to the game, memories of that 2025 season played on the scoreboard, some of them projected right onto the infield, the two biggest screens in Toronto. The clip of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saying “Daaa Yankees lose!” played and the stadium lost its collective mind. Then came George Springer’s home run in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Mariners, which brought another roar from the crowd.

The Blue Jays wanted to thank their fans, but that goes both ways. Messages from fans played, thanking these players for what they’d given them. Players’ families walked onto the field to hold a massive flag, emblazoned with the 50th anniversary season logo and “American League Champions.” While they were introduced, some of their families were in the dugout, watching on.

Schneider moved from the back of the dugout up to the top of the steps at one point, seeing that his two boys and his wife, Jess, were on the field and part of the ceremony. Schneider always jokes that once he sees someone else cry, he’ll start right along with them, so the manager was trying to manage his emotions while two of his own stars took over the final moments.

“Toronto. Canada. On behalf of everybody, we love you,” Springer told the crowd, taking the mic just prior to first pitch. “We thank you for all your support and everything you do. I promise that we will give you everything we have every single day until the season is over, whenever that is. We love you.”

Next to him was Vladdy, the “perfect franchise player” who has taken over this city.

“We love you guys,” Guerrero said. “Thank you for always bringing the energy. Without you guys, we’re not doing last year. We need you.”