TORONTO — With the benefit of a little perspective, one thing that stands out about last October is how fast it all happened.

One moment, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was yelling ‘Daaaaaaa Yankees lose’ and the next it was time to pack up and gameplan for the Mariners. By the following week, Brendon Little was tearing up in the visiting clubhouse in Seattle as the Toronto Blue Jays fell behind 3-2 in the ALCS. But a George Springer home run in Game 7 assured the Blue Jays of a berth in the World Series, where the emotional swings ratcheted up to yet another level.

From the Game 1 win at home and the 18-inning thriller that teetered on the edge of resolution for six hours and 39 minutes to Trey Yesavage’s epic Game 5, the hope that surged through the crowd at Rogers Centre ahead of Game 6 and the devastation that followed later that night, the World Series tested the emotional resolve of all involved day after day. By Game 7, the teams had grown more and more frustrated with one another after 10 days spent lobbying umpires and MLB officials for even the tiniest edge. And after all that, in the 11th inning of Game 7, the ending came swiftly and painfully.

To say it happened in a blur wouldn’t be quite right because there are distinct moments that characterized every single one of those games, but it all went by so fast. All of four weeks passed between Game 1 against the Yankees to Game 7 against the Dodgers.

A few months later, it’s already clear many all-time Blue Jays moments occurred during that brief span: beating the Yankees in their first ever post-season matchup, Max Scherzer’s clutch performance and emphatic shouting in Seattle, Springer’s homer, Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam, Yesavage’s dominant start and Bo Bichette’s Game 7 homer against Shohei Ohtani, to name a few. And that’s before you get to the month-long hot streaks from Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement. All told, that four-week period led to so many of the best-ever moments in the franchise’s now 50-season history.

As the Blue Jays return home to Toronto, it’s a good time to reflect on the success of 2025. While millions of Blue Jays fans live in and around Toronto all year, this will be the first time back at Rogers Centre for most players, who make their off-season homes elsewhere. That alone will prompt those in uniform to reflect. And with pre-game celebrations planned and an American League Championship banner set to fall from the rafters, everyone in the building will have occasion to look back a little.

It should be pretty special. And then, as soon as Kevin Gausman throws the first pitch of the 2026 season, it’ll be time to look ahead again.

In the years to come, there should be further chances to celebrate the 2025 team but this coming season offers the only chance to build on it, and as well-positioned as the Blue Jays are to gain further momentum, it’s unclear how long that opportunity will last, adding to the importance of each game.

Some of the uncertainty connects to the possibility of a lockout, which many players expect once the current collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1. For a rebuilding team like the Nationals or the White Sox, a work stoppage isn’t ideal but it’s perhaps less devastating than it would be for win-now teams like the Blue Jays.

Ultimately, that’s not something any one individual can determine so there’s little point in dwelling on it now, but those within the industry don’t expect the 2027 season to start on time — and many are readying themselves for an extended work stoppage.

Labour relations aside, there’s also the fact that Gausman, Springer and Daulton Varsho are on the brink of free agency. Based on recent history, we can expect the Blue Jays to keep spending aggressively as needed, but if the group that celebrated, cried and vacationed together in 2025 wants more, well, their best and possibly final chance begins now.

The players realize this, of course. As special as last year was, they know it doesn’t entitle them to further success. They have to earn every win, and many of them started working toward that goal soon after the World Series ended, even though the off-season felt — and was — considerably shorter than usual.

As Barger said recently: “The thing about baseball is it’s just never-ending.”

Ahead of the 2026 season, the Blue Jays are in a great place. A year ago, immense pressure surrounded everyone from Ross Atkins to John Schneider to Springer. Now, all have answered significant questions by winning, leading to newly earned extensions for the team’s GM and manager, and a lasting legacy for Springer and other players. Not only that, the entire roster, coaching staff and front office has gained valuable experience from the 2025 World Series run — and while it’s tough to quantify, there’s no question that experience will help. Most importantly, this is a strong roster.

Where that leads, who knows. Internally, the Blue Jays loved their off-season. They didn’t expect to be able to add Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, Kazuma Okamoto, Jesus Sanchez and Scherzer — but they still managed it. Cease, Ponce, Rogers and Okamoto all genuinely wanted to come here, a testament to the organization’s on-field success and off-field resources. Now, granted, the 2026 Blue Jays are still winless right now, just like every other MLB team. There’s no telling where the season will go. As always, health will go a long way toward determining what happens next.

In some ways, the pressure’s off now. The Blue Jays proved something significant last year. Yet sandwiched between the incredible 2025 season and the uncertainty over 2027, there’s another opportunity for the Blue Jays to do something special. Starting Friday, it’s time to take advantage of it.