The hunt for blue October

Photo: Twitter(@BlueJays)

The Toronto Blue Jays need their fans now more than ever.

Canada’s baseball team will face the most important game of the season tonight, in the do or die American League Wild Card game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

After more than two decades of missing the playoffs, last year the Toronto Blue Jays broke their slump by winning the American League East pennant last season. While the Wild Card game isn’t quite as impressive, it is still considered the playoffs, which makes it two years in a row for the Jays.

The team's recent success has directly translated into plenty of support from fans across the country. Jays hats and jerseys can be seen almost everywhere you look, from coast to coast. Here in the Okanagan Valley, the streets and sports bars have been filled with blue and white all summer long.

“In the last two years, baseball has changed so much for Canadian fans, especially here in Western Canada,” said Scott MacDonald, owner of Dakoda’s Sports Bar in Kelowna.

“It’s gone from being one of the least watched sports in my bar to one of the most watched. I will have all 48 of my screens playing the game tonight and expect it to be a packed house. The Jays will make it happen and there will be so much more great baseball to come.”

A one-game playoff is not for the faint of heart, and there is no doubt there will be just as many stressful edge of your seat moments as there will be big hits and stellar defensive plays.

Marcus Stroman (9-10) will take to the mound for the Jays, while Chris Tillman (16-6) will start the game for the Orioles.

If you can handle the stress of tonight’s one-game Wild Card playoff, the action starts at 5 p.m. on Rogers Sportsnet.