5 Biggest Collapses in Blue Jays History, Ranked

Unfortunately for Toronto Blue Jays fans, the most painful losses and collapses in franchise history are hard to forget. 

There have been individual games where the Jays blew massive leads, and there have been prolonged losing runs that have massively altered the Blue Jays’ World Series odds in the baseball betting markets. 

Toronto Blue Jays’ Most Heartbreaking Losses of All Time

5. Cleveland Fights Back (1979)

When the Jays led 8-0 in the middle of the sixth, they could have been forgiven for thinking the game was over. Cleveland, though, still believed and began their comeback with one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Trailing by five heading into the ninth, Cleveland’s chances were slim. Phil Huffman had pitched eight strong innings, but he didn’t get any of the four hitters he faced in the ninth out. Tom Buskey then came into the game to give up two earned runs, allowing Cleveland to complete a historic comeback. 

4. Rays Overturn 9-1 Deficit (2009)

The Blue Jays have lost with an eight-run lead on four occasions in the regular season. In 2009, the most dramatic of those came after the Jays led the Tampa Bay Rays 9-1 in the bottom of the sixth.

An extraordinary game saw the Rays score eight runs across the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings before taking a 10-9 lead at a stunned Rogers Centre in the top of the 10th.

3. Mariners Comeback (2022)

After losing Game 1 of a best-of-three wild-card series in 2022, Game 2 was a must-win for the Jays. The Seattle Mariners were as good as defeated when Robbie Ray and Paul Sewald combined to concede eight runs in the first five innings.

What followed was a spectacular meltdown. Kevin Gausman had impressed in the first few frames, but was ultimately responsible for four earned runs. Anthony Bass and Jordan Romano allowed five more across the final two innings as Seattle completed an astonishing comeback to eliminate the Jays.

2. Pennant Collapse (1987)

With seven games remaining in the 1987 regular season, the Jays had a 3.5-game lead in the division after winning three in a row against the second-place Detroit Tigers.

Detroit won the final game of the four-game series. Toronto then lost six more games in a row, including a sweep at the hands of the Tigers in the final series of the year, and ultimately missed the playoffs.

1. Blown World Series Lead (2025)   

The 2025 World Series was the most painful loss the Blue Jays have ever suffered. Toronto had defied the odds to reach the Fall Classic and take a 3-2 lead over the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers.

A loss in Game 6 meant a Game 7 at Rogers Centre. The Jays were underdogs, but they almost had their hands on the trophy when they took a 3-0 lead.

The Dodgers, though, fought back, with runs in the eighth and ninth to force the game to extra innings. Andy Pages’ catch in the bottom of the ninth stopped the Jays from walking it off. Will Smith’s home run in the top of the 11th silenced the crowd and saw the Dodgers become the first team in 25 years to defend a World Series title.

What’s the Biggest Collapse in MLB History in September?

On Sept. 12, 2007, the New York Mets were leading the NL East by seven games with 17 to play. The collapse began with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, which brought the Phils to only 3.5 games behind the Mets.

From then onwards, the Mets went 5-9, including a 1-5 record against the 73-win Washington Nationals. Philadelphia won the division, while the Mets missed the playoffs entirely.