SEATTLE — Lloyd Johnston and Shaun Funk arrived in Seattle from Vancouver by train Wednesday wearing rival baseball caps, but the two friends said they’re only a “little conflicted.”
Johnston, with the Jays’ cap, and Funk, wearing the Mariners hat, said taking the train was easier than driving, finding it a relaxing journey that avoided vehicle traffic at the U.S. border as they made their way to Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
Johnston said he was surprised there weren’t more baseball fans on the train, with staff at the station in Vancouver saying they were expecting “non-stop Blue Jays fans,” but the deluge didn’t materialize.
Funk said he was last in Seattle when the Mariners were in the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros in 2022.
Johnston said he hadn’t crossed the border since U.S. President Donald Trump took office and hadn’t planned on it, but is making an exception for playoff baseball.
They said they paid around US$300 for their tickets.
Funk said that was a big jump from the last time he was in town, when he paid about US$60 for a game.
“But I think back then the Mariners weren’t anywhere near as much of a contender,” Funk said. “Now they’re trying to go all the way this year.”
Johnston and Funk said they’re fans of both the Mariners and the Blue Jays, noting the Mariners have out-hit and out-pitched the Jays in the series so far.
Both men said they’ll switch their allegiances depending on which team wins.
Funk joked that he’s been called a “turncoat” for his love of the Jays as the Canadian team and the Mariners, that are just a short trip over the border from Vancouver.
Toronto Blue Jays fans could be seen peppering the streets of Seattle on game day, having taken planes, trains, boats and automobiles to Seattle to give their team some much-needed support.
The Jays were down two games against the Mariners heading into T-Mobile Park for Game 3 in the series.
Mick Thiessen from Abbotsford, B.C., was near the stadium Wednesday with a group of friends who had crossed the border by car.
“This is a must-win, they’ve got to win this game,” Thiessen said.
Regular-season games in Seattle often have a home feel for the Jays, with fans in Western Canada making the trek to Seattle.
Canadian fans visiting for the game come at a time when Seattle’s hotels, restaurants and shops are in a “need period” in October, and the tourism group Visit Seattle said in a statement that the baseball playoffs can provide a welcome boost.
But the playoffs also come at a time when trips by Canadians are not guaranteed, with the organization saying it anticipates a year-over-year drop of 26 per cent from international visitors in 2025, the largest dip for a major U.S. city because of Seattle’s dependence on Canadian tourism.
The Victoria Clipper added a “Playoff Express” sailing between Victoria and Seattle for Game 3, the one-way trip taking about two hours and 45 minutes from harbour to harbour.
The ferry’s regular sailing Thursday is scheduled to arrive just over an hour before gametime, and will give people with game tickets priority to disembark and get through customs to give them “as much time as possible to clear customs and get to the game.”
Natasha Mills and Mitch Laseur from Victoria were on the Clipper and disembarked in Seattle wearing Jays hats on Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before the first pitch.
Mills said the ride was “amazing,” making friends with fellow fans and praising the baseball-themed decorations on board, while Laseur said the ride was relaxing with “beautiful scenery, good food, good drinks.”
They said the mood onboard was “pretty upbeat,” and the couple were not letting cross-border political tensions get in the way of a good time.
“We’re just living each day for the fullest and we’re not going to let something like that stop us from enjoying a once in a lifetime experience like this,” Mills said.
Laseur said the Jays need to “just chip away one game at a time.”
Several Jays fans pointed out that the team beat the Mariners three times in a row in the regular season back in May.
The Mariners, who have never won the ALCS, defeated Toronto in the 2022 wild-card series, which was the only other time the two 1977 expansion teams have met in the post-season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2025.
Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
