Drake goes viral with 5-word message wearing Jays jersey as Toronto ends 32-year World Series drought

Canadian rapper and Toronto Blue Jays fan Drake celebrated the franchise's thrilling 4-3 win in the American League Championship Series decider against the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

Drake shared a clip of Mariners star Julio Rodriguez's third strikeout in the ninth inning to end the game on his Instagram story. As the Blue Jays clinched a comeback win, he shouted and jumped with joy.

He captioned his story with a five-word message:

"BIG SHOW IT'S UP 6'ERRRRRRRS."

Drake, a Toronto native, has associated himself with other MLB teams in the past. He threw the first pitch at Progressive Field in 2011 after declaring himself a Cleveland Guardians fan. He also donned a Houston Astros jersey in the past to commemorate his ties with the city.

With the Blue Jays ending their 32-year-old World Series drought, fans might catch a glimpse of Drake at one of the Fall Classic games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre in the coming days.

Blue Jays manager praised players after historic ALCS comeback against Mariners

The Blue Jays trailed 2-0 in the series after the first two games but won four of the next five games to eliminate the Mariners, becoming the first team to lose the first two home games in an ALCS and still make the World Series.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised the mental fortitude of the players and their ability to bounce back from setbacks. Schneider had special praise for George Springer, who turned around the game and the series with a three-run home run on Monday night.

"It takes so much work and perseverance to get to this point, and I love this entire group," Schneider said postgame. "It's so fitting -- bottom of our order gets it done again. There's probably no other person on planet Earth that I want up other than George Springer and his October magic."

The Blue Jays, who are celebrating their first World Series appearance since 1993, still will be wary of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who stormed into the Fall Classic after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash