While Game 7 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers will always be remembered for the heartache that it caused Jays fans, it will also be remembered for the history it created in Canada.

Per Front Office Sports:

Game 7 of the World Series drew 10.9M viewers on Sportsnet—nearly half of Canada.

It was not only the largest audience for a Blue Jays broadcast in its history, but the most-watched broadcast of any type for Sportsnet parent company Rogers Communications.

The Jays captured the hearts of a country

The amount of people invested in the Jays this season just proves how big an impact they had on the entire nation, and how could they not have? They were a great team and a great story.

First and foremost, Toronto pulled off a "worst-to-first" season, turning around a 74-win team from 2024 to win the American League East for the first time in a decade. Second, they had a group of likable homegrown players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk.

And heck, even the front office and ownership earned positive favor among fans after signing Guerrero long-term in April.

How do they handle the encore?

That's always the million-dollar question. How do you take this pain and use it as motivation moving forward?

On the positive side, the Jays should get a healthy version of Anthony Santander in 2026 and they will have access to a full season of playoff hero Trey Yesavage.

On the negative side, Toronto has major free agents including Bichette, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber and Chris Bassitt. While Yesavage can fill one hole in the rotation, filling three is potentially very difficult.

Other Blue Jays news and notes

--Manager John Schneider is up for the American League Manager of the Year against Dan Wilson (Mariners) and Stephen Vogt (Guardians)

--First baseman Ty France, who joined the Jays at midseason, was named the American League Gold Glover at first base

--Bassitt and Bichette both say they want to stay with the Blue Jays, but they will officially hit unrestricted free agency on Thursday

RELATED BLUE JAYS STORIES

GOLD GLOVE RECAP: Five different Blue Jays players were up for a Gold Glove Award, with one taking home the hardware. Who was it, and who fell short? CLICK HERE: 

NESN REPORTER BELIEVES BLUE JAYS CHAMPIONSHIP WINDOW IS JUST OPENING: In a recent episode of the Refuse to Lose podcast, Tom Caron said he thinks this year is the beginning of a new era for the Blue Jays. CLICK HERE

BO ON FUTURE: Bo Bichette talked briefly about his future heading into the offseason following Game 7's heartbreak. Here's what he said. CLICK HERE: 

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