$58 tickets? A lot has changed since the Jays’ last World Series appearance

The Toronto Blue Jays will be back in a somewhat familiar spot when the World Series kicks off on Friday against the L.A. Dodgers.

The blue birds famously won the coveted Commissioner’s Trophy back-to-back in 1992 and 1993.

But a lot has changed for the franchise, and city, since the Jays last swung a bat in a World Series game in 1993.

Let’s dip into the hot tub time machine for a comparison.

A homer odyssey

Back in 1993, Joe Carter was Toronto’s homerun heavyweight, knocking a team-leading 33 balls out of MLB ballparks. Of course, Carter hit the team’s most glorious and iconic homerun ever with his walk-off blast in the bottom of the 9th off Phillies closer Mitch Williams that secured the team’s second straight World Series title.

Fast forward to 2025. Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s bat has been on fire with a team-leading six post-season dingers, but no one has hit a bigger one than George Springer.

Springer single-handedly sprung the Jays to the World Series with his jaw-dropping three-run shot off Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo in the bottom of the seventh inning in do-or-die Game 7. His clutch blast gave the Jays the lead, and they hung on for dear life to secure their date with the Dodgers.

Cito to Schneider

Cito Gaston, who managed the team from 89-97, is a Toronto legend for leading the Jays to back-to-back World Series wins in 92 and 93. He still holds the franchise record for most wins (894) and has cemented his place as a Toronto sports icon. He was also a trailblazer – becoming the first Black manager to lead a team to a World Series title.

Forty-five-year-old John Schneider has managed the Jays since 2022. He’s affable and down to earth, he drops the odd f-bomb, and he’s only the second manager in team history, aside from Gaston, to lead the team to a World Series. He has faced some criticism for pitching decisions, but all will be forgiven if he can defeat the fierce Ohtani-led Dodgers.

Big bats = big bucks

Power is seductive. That may explain why power hitters earn impressive salaries.

Back in 1993, Joe Carter was the team’s top homerun hitter — and earner — according to the Baseball Almanac, bringing in a cool $5,555,000.00.

In 2025 that’s chump change.

Back in May, the Jays signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million extension. According to Sportsnet, his income this season will be a whopping $48.5 million ($20 million bonus plus $28.5 million salary).

Home base: Skydome to Rogers Centre

The Jays called the Skydome, at 1 Blue Jays Way, home in 1993. At the time the ground-breaking retractable-roof stadium was owned by the provincial government and carried a hard-to-swallow $400 million debt.

Rogers eventually bought the stadium for a bargain price of $25 million in late 2004, renaming it Rogers Centre in early 2005.

The company has since put hundreds of millions of dollars into renovations.

The address remains the same, but the stadium is now the world-class venue the team deserves.

Cost of admission

Ticket prices are a hot topic these days, with politicians raging about the Ticketmaster monopoly and the outlandish resale mark ups for the upcoming World Series.

Fans who attended the last Jays World Series in 1993 have been coming forward online to show off ticket stubs from ’93 that, even considering inflation, would be a steal today.

One Redditor posted a photo of his ticket stubs from Game 6 noting they were “$58 all in back then.”

Found my old ticket stubs from series winning game 6 of the 93 World Series. $58 all in back then.
byu/YZFMax inTorontobluejays

Another fan posted his 100-level stubs from 93 on X, showing off a very reasonable price of $78 each.

Yeah, I know concert tickets and groceries and all that stuff costs more these days

2 #Bluejays tickets from the 1993 World Series, 100 level, right field corner.
$78 each.

That's about $220 with inflation but I think these now go for over $1500 each.

Its a bit wacky. pic.twitter.com/0vqb8NsFQe

— David Fleischer (@Fleischmarket) October 22, 2025

In 2025, you’d be lucky to snag a few cold beers for those prices

Already-pricey face value tickets sold out in a flash, with resale tickets soaring to astronomical, and for most, unaffordable levels.

One fan said she was “gutted” to see the cost to cheer on her team.

This is actually a joke, been watching the jays since I was a kid, I never miss a game and it’s been my dream to see them in a World Series but this is the price for general admission. I was fully ready to fly there and spend a decent amount but this is absurd. I am gutted. pic.twitter.com/dgWEKoifpb

— Maddy Schneider (@Maddy_Lea) October 22, 2025