Blue Jays’ World Series run is an ‘incredible’ moment in U of T alum Mike Wilner’s career

University of Toronto alum and sports journalist Mike Wilner has been covering the Toronto Blue Jays for various outlets since 1988. Photo credit: David Cooper.

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the World Series for the first time in 32 years, and Mike Wilner (BSc 1994), a popular sports journalist and University of Toronto alum, has one of the best views of this historic playoff run.

“This could be a once-in-a-lifetime event for some people, and it’s just so wonderfully special,” says Wilner, who earned his honours bachelor of science degree in 1994 as a member of New College.

“It almost doesn’t feel real.”

Wilner has been full time on the Blue Jays beat since 2001. The Toronto Star columnist and host of Canada’s popular baseball podcast, Deep Left Field, spent eight seasons calling Jays play-by-play on the radio, and nearly two decades as the pre- and post-game call-in host on The Fan 590.

Blue Jays beat began at U of T

Wilner caught the broadcasting bug as a psychology major at U of T, volunteering at CIUT, the campus radio station, where he began covering the Blue Jays in 1988. By age 19, he was the sports director and play-by-play broadcaster for Varsity Blues hockey. That experience helped him develop skills that eventually led to a full-time radio role with Rogers.

From the highest to the lowest moments of the Blue Jays franchise, Wilner has been a steady voice, guiding fans through eras of grief and joy.

“If I look back at all the Blue Jays teams I've seen, this wouldn't have been at the top of my list of teams I expected to get to the World Series – but they're the ones who did it. It's incredible,” Wilner reflects.

He remembers celebrating the Jays’ back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Wilner was still a U of T undergrad in the early 1990s and joined thousands of revelers parading up Yonge Street.

How fans can enjoy this epic moment

Players on the 2025 edition of the Blue Jays are swinging for their own special place in Toronto sports lore, amid the deafening cheers of a fandom supercharged by social media.

Wilner’s advice to the Jays faithful for the World Series run against the Los Angeles Dodgers?

“Try not to get overwhelmed by the tension,” he says. “As frustrating as the games might get, or as euphoric as they may be, just soak it all in. Enjoy the hell out of it because we genuinely don’t know if it will ever happen again.”

Meanwhile, Wilner is tight-lipped on whether he thinks the Blue Jays will beat the defending champions. “Any prediction I make is guaranteed to be wrong,” says Wilner.

Originally published by A&S News