With the Toronto Blue Jays making it to the World Series for the first time since 1993, many Canadians will be cheering them on as they take on the LA Dodgers.
According to PlayNow, the online gambling website owned and operated by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the Dodgers have been a favourite to win the World Series for the second consecutive year since the beginning of the season.
Now the Blue Jays are the only thing standing in their way.
With the World Series matchup beginning on Friday, October 24th, PlayNow says that the vast majority of bets being placed on their platform are for Toronto to pull off the upset.
Los Angeles has nearly twice the budget for players’ salaries as the Blue Jays, with the teams’ payroll being US$509.5 million and US$252.7 million respectively.
However, Toronto has beaten the odds to be in the position they now find themselves in, and have most of an entire country backing them.
“By now, the Jays are used to having to fight as the underdogs, so the World Series – against the Dodgers no less – shouldn’t be any different,” says Aaron Myette, who spent six seasons in the MLB and is currently BCLC’s senior manager for Sports.
“However, momentum in baseball is a funny thing, and the Blue Jays have momentum and that helps build a belief that they can beat anyone. If their bats stay hot, their pitching continues to step up in crucial situations, they have more than a fighting chance to take down the reigning champs.”
According to PlayNow, the Dodgers are considered heavy favourites with odds of 1.47 over the Jays 2.75, with the most likely outcome being on Los Angeles to end the series in five games.
They added that the Dodgers’ chances to win hinge largely on Shohei Ohtani, who was once close to becoming a Blue Jay.
Two years ago, Toronto heavily pursued the player to join their team, but the phenom ended up signing a 10-year, $700-million deal with Los Angeles.
Bets can be placed on the World Series outcome through PlayNow’s website.
“If betting activity on PlayNow is any indication, both fans and bettors are hoping for a long, hard-fought series that brings a World Series title to Canada,” concluded PlayNow in a media release.
