Blue Jays Fever in Sask.

REGINA – It wasn’t the result Toronto Blue Jays fans hoped for as the team dropped Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon.

But ‘Jays Fever’ is spreading across the country, with fans hungry for their first postseason pitch in 22 years – so you can’t blame them for wanting to let loose.

The 1:30 p.m. start time in Saskatchewan was tough on some establishments, with a couple Regina pubs promising to have the Jays game on TV, but only a handful of fans taking them up on it during the workday.

View image in full screen

At the busier bars, some patrons admitted to playing hooky, while others planned ahead.

“Luckily, I saved some vacation days in case this happened,” said one fan at The Canadian Brewhouse.

Don’t forget about the younger generation of Blue Jays fans. Grade four students at St. Mary School in Moose Jaw sang their support in the classroom, with a jovial rendition of O-K Blue Jays.

It’s clear fans are buying in with merchandise too. Even in the “sea of green” that is Rider Nation, it’s blue that’s flying off the shelves.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“We have so many people calling before they come because we’ve had to turn away so many people,” said Maddie Ouelette, a sales associate at River City Sports.

“They come here and get mad because so many people are jumping on this bandwagon.”

Going the extra mile

There may be a lot of new fans, but a lifelong diehard like Kirk Morrison made the choice to fly to Toronto for game 2 of the series on Friday.

“Me and my brother always said, if the Jays go to the playoffs, we’re going. Drop work, whatever, we’re doing, we can make time to see the Jays play,” Morrison said.

“He tried to get tickets for Game 1 and didn’t get through. I was trying for Game 2, got through, got tickets, we’re going.”

Not everyone has a forgiving workplace that’ll let you keep at least one eye on the game. So with another daytime start on Friday, you might want to get a sick note.