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Toronto Blue Jays Clinch Grapefruit League Championship With Spring Training Victory

By holding off the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays guaranteed themselves a spot atop the Grapefruit League standings when spring training comes to a close.

Sam Connon

Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark.
Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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It may not count for much, but the Toronto Blue Jays will end the spring as champions.

The Blue Jays held on for a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, improving to 17-10 so far in spring training. Max Scherzer got credit for the victory, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings to open the contest.

A loss by the Boston Red Sox dropped them into a tie for second place in the Grapefruit League standings at 15-11, right alongside the Houston Astros. No matter what happens over the next few days, Toronto will be able to claim at least a share of the Grapefruit League crown.

Toronto's plus-26 run differential is also the best of any MLB team playing its preseason games in Florida.

Winning a month-long exhibition league is nothing to write home about, but it could be a promising sign of things to come for the Blue Jays in 2025.

The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers won the Grapefruit League and Cactus League, respectively, in 2024. Both went on to make the playoffs, with the latter ultimately winning the World Series.

And yet, Blue Jays fans and media members alike have turned the so-called title into a running joke of sorts, comparing the 2025 Golden Grapefruit to their 1992 and 1993 World Series runs.

Toronto finished second in the Grapefruit League standings in both 2020 and 2021. While the club went on to earn a postseason bid in 2020, they fell one game shy of a Wild Card spot in 2021 at 91-71.

The Blue Jays have one spring training game left on the slate, as they will play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:07 p.m. ET on Sunday. Once that goes final, Toronto will gear up for an Opening Day contest against the Orioles on Thursday.

Related MLB Stories

  • VARSHO HEADED FOR IL: The Blue Jays will be without their Gold Glove center fielder when the regular season gets underway, as Daulton Varsho still hasn't fully recovered from shoulder surgery. CLICK HERE
  • BÁEZ BOUNCING AROUND: Javier Báez, who has almost exclusively played shortstop in his MLB career, is set to man center field for the Tigers on Saturday. CLICK HERE
  • JANSEN BANGED UP: While veteran catcher Danny Jansen has been dealing with a pulled rib muscle, the Rays catcher could be back before the end of spring training. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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