Once fierce foes, Blue Jays-Tigers paired on Rivalry Weekend
If grown properly, Rivalry Weekend could become a new staple of a revised baseball calendar. How much the Blue Jays and Tigers can pour into that depends on whether they once again start playing in games of consequence.
TORONTO – For fans of a certain vintage, there are both happy memories and bitter wounds from the old two-division American League that make the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers a logical pairing for Major League Baseball’s inaugural Rivalry Weekend.
Dave Stieb versus Jack Morris. George Bell and Tony Fernandez versus Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell. That fateful – and controversial – Bill Madlock slide at second base. All amid regular clashes for AL East supremacy between two geographic adversaries a mere four-hour drive apart.
Those who experienced those games won’t soon forget them.
But, as current Tigers manager A.J. Hinch pointed out after conceding that he knew little of the ferocity there once was: “Do I need to remind you how long ago the ‘80s were?”
Say less, A.J., although that’s a big reason why he was bang on when he said the current pitting of the clubs against each other “may not be one that’s immediately circled by fans as being a part of the (Rivalry) Weekend.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372920892112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372920892112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6372920892112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-454904" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6372920892112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/6372920892112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/whats-behind-the-tigers-unexpected-early-season-success/" }); });
After all, both franchises experienced a mid-1990’s downturn before Detroit moved from the East to the Central during the 1998 divisional realignment triggered by the arrival of expansion clubs Tampa Bay and Arizona. Without any post-season encounters in the years since, any remnants of the competition that once was faded quickly.
Even someone like John Schneider, who joined the Blue Jays as a draft pick in 2001 and has been in the organization since, said “the answer’s no,” when asked if he’s had any touches to the rivalry. Current teams that better fit the rival mould, he said, are “Baltimore and Seattle … because of the way we’ve played them the past couple of years, playoff games (against the Mariners) in 2022. That’s kind of how I wake up on the days we’re playing them.”
Hence, when asked what his sense was of what Rivalry Weekend is supposed to achieve, he quipped, “I don’t know, is it like fights or brawls? We’re up for it.”
Neither instigating chaos nor helping rekindle a dormant rivalry is Major League Baseball’s specific goal with the initiative, of course. Rather, it’s far more about leveraging interest in the industry-driving markets of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.
-
-
MLB on Sportsnet
Watch the Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays Central pre-game, marquee MLB matchups, Jays in 30, original documentaries, the wild card, divisional series, championship series and entire World Series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
To that end, the Rivalry Weekend originated from MLB’s marketing side rather than from its long-term committee developing ideas for the game’s future. Owners are currently examining a wide-range of creative possibilities around the schedule that may eventually become proposals when negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement to replace the current pact, which expires after the 2026 season, begin.
During the last round in 2022, for instance, MLB pushed for a 14-team post-season rather than the 12-team format settled on with the players, but the wider sports landscape has since evolved, with more interest for special and unique products.
The NHL, of course, generated immense excitement with its 4 Nations international tournament in February, while the NBA has run an in-season tournament the past couple of years.
If grown properly, Rivalry Weekend could become a new staple of a revised baseball calendar.
“It could be an opportunity,” said Hinch. “Personally, I love it because I watch basketball, hockey and other sports that have thrived featuring in-season competitions. Now, I don’t know how to do it. That’s certainly above my job description. But I do think that we need to continue to push our sport, to do unique things. That’s where the Olympics, where the WBC, where new things can spark a renewed interest or broaden the reach of the sport. … It’s never not a good product, but it doesn’t come without some risk. And that’s where I think baseball has tried to maintain its levity throughout the season to make sure we have our best players available.”
How much the Blue Jays and Tigers can pour into that with a revived rivalry depends on whether they once again start playing in games of consequence. Friday’s series opener, a 5-4 Detroit win, was a fun glimpse of what could be, with a raucous crowd of 23,146 boosted by a contingent of Tigers fans, and tense, late-game drama.
The only thing missing was the October stakes that were a staple of those games from the 1980s, an element both teams are vying for once again this season.
