Blue Jays play Game 6 of the World Series tonight in Toronto. Here are some of the biggest sporting events the city has ever hosted.
The World Series has returned to Toronto for Game 6 and the Blue Jays have a chance to win the title for the first time in 32 years.
Millions of people, on both sides of the border, will be watching the matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who trail the Jays 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Here’s a look at some of the other big games and sporting events that Toronto has played host to over the years.
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Joe Carter
1993 World Series Game 6 Before there was Vladimir Guerroro Jr., there was Joe Carter.
The Toronto Blue Jays came into Game 6 of the World Series leading the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2, but were trailing 6-5 with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Fans at the then SkyDome watched with bated breath as Carter stepped up to the plate, with Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor on base.
As the count reached 2-2, Carter hit a walk-off, three run home run to win the series and give Toronto it’s second title in as many years. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 7 The Philadelphia 76ers forced Game 7 in the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Raptors to send the series back to Scotiabank Arena.
The 76ers and Joel Embiid tied things up at 90-90 with 4.2 seconds left on the clock as a sold-out crowd held their breaths.
Then, after a Toronto timeout, Marc Gasol inbounded the ball to Kawhi Leonard, who dribbled around the permitter and hit a shot that bounced off the rim four times before it went in. Toronto won 92-90.
Toronto would go on to win their first ever NBA championship, with Leonard being named NBA Finals MVP. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)
Muhammad Ali vs. George Chuvalo The year was 1966 when boxing legend Muhammad Ali went toe-to-toe with Canadian heavyweight champion George Chuvalo.
Originally, Ali was scheduled to fight Ernie Terrell in Chicago, but due to controversial remarks against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, the bout was outlawed in Illinois and promoters were forced to find another location.
They landed on Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens, where Ali and Chuvalo duked it out for 15 rounds. Although Ali won the fight by unanimous decision, Chuvalo was never knocked down. (AP Photo)
Toronto Maple Leafs end 19-year playoff drought Over their more than 100 seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs have reached the playoffs dozens of times, won a healthy number of series, and skated away with the Stanley Cup 13 times.
But there was a period following their conference quarterfinals win over the Ottawa Senators in 2004 when the Buds would be iced out of a playoff series win for 19 years.
That was until 2023, when Toronto beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 to advance to the second round. Scotiabank Arena was packed for Game 1 and Game 2, both of which Toronto lost to the Florida Panthers.
Toronto secured won one and lost one on the road, and fans flocked to Scotiabank to see if the Leafs could keep their playoff dreams alive. They lost the series to the Panthers 4-1. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)
NBA Finals come to Toronto After the Raptors took care of the Philadelphia 76ers, they erased a two-game deficit and beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in four straight games.
Their next opponent would be their toughest challenge yet: the back-to-back NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
For the first time in franchise history, Toronto hosted an NBA Finals game, which the Raptors would win 118-109. It was also the first time in NBA history that Finals game was held outside the U.S. (The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)
Argonauts reverse home-field curse More than 53, 000 people packed Rogers Centre to watch the Toronto Argonauts take on the Calgary Stampeders for the 100th Grey Cup on Nov. 25, 2012.
Toronto walked away with a 35-22 victory in the face of a long-standing Grey Cup curse which usually sees the home team come up empty handed. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)
Toronto hosts 1972 Canada-Soviet Hockey Series Toronto hosted Game 2 of the Canada-Soviet Hockey Series during the Cold War and 10 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Most at the time expected the Canadian team to best the then Soviet Union, but the Russians surprised fans and analysts alike when they took Game 1 7-3.
Canada would win Game 2, played at Maple Leaf Gardens. 4-1 and go on to win the series 4-3. Experts have said that the series had a lasting impact on hockey in Canada and abroad.
“The series became as much a Cold War political battle of democracy versus communism and freedom versus oppression as it was about hockey,” an entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia reads. (The Canadian Press/Peter Bregg)
Toronto FC hoists MLS Cup Soccer fans won’t forget 2017, when Toronto FC won the MLS Cup for the first time in franchise history.
The Reds blanked the Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 in the December 9 contest. The 2017 final served as a rematch of the previous season’s championship game , where the Sounders beat Toronto 5-4 in penalty kicks.
Over 30,000 fans witnessed the event at BMO Field and braved the near-freezing temperatures to take in the win.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
