Unpopular Blue Jays Opinion: The Seattle Fan Invasion isn’t as special as it used to be

The Blue Jays are in Seattle for a weekend series against the Mariners. For the last 10 years (or more), these 3-4 games at T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field) are similar to Christmas for Jays fans living in Western Canada or the Pacific Northwest.

These fans nearly take over the Mariners’ home; standing out in traditional Blue Jays blue, loud and proud. For some of them, this is their only visit with their favourite team that happens to play on the other side of the continent. It’s not just a standard regular season series, but also a festival of cherished time.

Watching on the East Coast side of things, a fun at-home game begins: Take a drink every time the Sportsnet team mentions the fans who have invaded Seattle.

All jokes aside, I cannot help but admire the vast size and dedication of those West Coast fans.

It’s a cool sight, but not as cool as it used to be.

Full disclosure: I live in Toronto. I have the privilege and if money was no object, the ability to see every single home game. It takes about an hour to go from the front door of my home to a seat at SkyDome.

What takes me an hour to do can take hours/days for other fans. Therefore, I have no business commenting on this yearly event. Nothing gives me the right to comment on anything involving fans who live outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Alas, this thought has rattled around in my head for a while. It’s healthier to type it out on this blog than let it sit in my head, taking up space.

I first noticed the Seattle invasion during the emergence of Brett Lawrie. Was staying up late one night to listen to a game and he hit a home run early on. The thunderous roar was breathtaking. Those fans weren’t just cheering. They were also marking their territory; loud enough for everyone else to hear.

A few years later, Jose Bautista crushed a ball that nearly touched the clouds. Behind him, a sea of blue rose like a mesmerizing tidal wave. Those who made the trek were setting the bar for the rest of us and were rightfully commended.

But over time, the novelty has worn off.

This has to do with the Jays’ mediocre play at Safeco/T-Mobile. Since 2012, they’ve amassed a record of 12-20, winning four out of 10 series. If we shorten that range, the Jays have recorded a ghastly 2-8 result since 2019, including last year’s four-game sweep by the Mariners.

Year:	Number of games:	Result (W-L):
2012	3 (July 30-August 1)	0-3
2013	3 (August 5-7)	2-1
2014	3 (August 11-13)	0-3
2015	3 (July 24-26)	1-2
2016	3 (September 19-21)	2-1
2017	3 (June 9-11)	2-1
2018	4 (August 2-5)	3-1
2019	3 (August 23-25)	1-2
2021	3 (August 13-15)	1-2
2022	4 (July 7-10)	0-4
Total:	32	12-20

Source: Baseball-Reference.com

Obviously, a large presence of fans on the road doesn’t guarantee victories or have a major influence on the final score. Nevertheless, the Jays’ overall poor play in Seattle neutralizes the impact of having thousands travel to the Emerald City.

Make no mistake: I want the Seattle Invasion to continue. I want it to be as important as the home opener and Canada Day. I just wish it had the same reverberation it once had.

The best way for that reverberation to come back is for the Jays to dominate in Seattle. Hopefully, that starts this weekend.

ER

I don’t know what’s worse: The consistently inconsistent Blue Jays or #JaysTwitter losing its collective shit over the consistently inconsistent Blue Jays

Seriously, who says everything needs to be linear? The up-and-down 2023 Blue Jays are just a metaphor for life.

Last week, the Jays hit the halfway point of the regular season with a record of 44-37, seven games above the .500 mark.

Not outstanding, but not awful either. They’ve managed to be in a playoff spot or just outside of one for the entire first half.

And yet, we’ve all felt at times that they were worse than what the standings indicated.

Some suggested/demanded John Schneider be relieved of his duties, while others pronounced all postseason aspirations dead. I even got a text from a Twitter friend who aired his frustrations with the Jays during the SECOND game of the regular season.

If that’s a cupcake, this was the cherry:

After getting swept at home by Boston, I saw one fan on Twitter suggest it was time to blow everything up, sell off all their talent and start rebuilding from the ground up.

Oy vey.

There is no chill with this fan base. Then again, I’m sure other fan bases are like this as well. Passionate and compassionate supporters butting heads in large displays and microaggressions.

I recently posted this half-serious, half-fun tweet and it COOKED. If you were looking for an example of the two streams of consciousness about the Jays, this was it. Most likes and retweets were compassionate. Most replies were passionate.

And I get it.

The offence is supposed to be one of the best in baseball, but they have been brutally inconsistent.

Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi have bounced back so far, but Alek Monoah has come apart.

The Jays played well in April and June, but they sputtered in May.

Their record outside the AL East is fantastic, but they have fared terribly against division rivals.

Speaking of which…anyone else pissed that Baltimore’s rebuild has accelerated past the Jays?

The dissatisfaction is palpable. The Blue Jays are playing below their talent. But ironically, this is par for the course.

A search on BaseballReference.com shows the Jays have had near identical records after 81 games the past few seasons:

2023 – 44-37
2022 – 44-37
2021 – 43-38
Source: BaseballReference.com

Essentially, the Jays are where they usually are. Here’s the problem: What was okay in 2021 is not acceptable in 2023. The Jays should be better than their record. Unfortunately, they have been erratic, leading to a lot of hair-pulling and aggravation.

We could lose hope and jump to a conclusion, but we also have to acknowledge one detail: THEY’RE NOT DEAD.

This team is one winning streak away from meeting the expectations they/we set out for them. That’s why we need to let the story play out.

Can they do it? I believe they absolutely can! Will they do it? I don’t know. We haven’t reached that part of the story.

Maybe a big trade or a huge come-from-behind victory ignites them. Maybe Alek comes back with a vengeance and carries his teammates into the playoffs. Maybe someone in the rotation throws a perfect game and kickstarts an incredible run. Maybe everything clicks at the same time.

Scoff at that as much as you want. Nobody – not the experts, insiders or civilians – truly knows what will happen. We can only make guesses. I have the same chance of guessing right as much as the most negative fan.

#JaysTwitter will be what it will be. I’ve made peace with this. And it would be foolish of me to expect all fans to keep their cool and be patient.

Does #JaysTwitter piss me off – especially when things aren’t going well? Of course! Will I make a snarky comment now and then? Sure. Am I going to demand everyone to be compassionate? Good grief, no.

So, I choose to take everything in. I choose to be hopeful, knowing disappointment might be the end result. I choose to wait for them to die before I pronounce them dead.

It doesn’t matter where they place in the dance as long as they get a ticket to the dance. You’re welcome to think otherwise.

ER

Mid-Season Awards:
Best hitter – Bo Bichette
Best starter – Kevin Gausman
Best reliever – Jordan Romano