Saskatoon father and son go the distance to catch Toronto Blue Jays ALCS game

A father and son from Saskatoon drove over 2,000 kilometres to watch the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) Sunday night.

The game marked the first time the Blue Jays reached the ALCS since 2016, when they lost to the Cleveland Guardians 4-1.

Baseball lover Rhett Sangster and his son Kai purchased their tickets last Thursday on a whim. 

“The Blue Jays don't make the playoffs very often, and my son and I are big fans,” Sangster told CBC’s Saskatoon Morning Monday.

He and his wife had recently been discussing a “coming of age” trip for their son and thought the rare Blue Jays game was the perfect opportunity. 

The pair jumped into their van just after lunch Thursday and set out on a 33-hour drive to Toronto. 

“We thought about flying and then thought, you know what, a road trip’s fun and it'll be great time spent together, father, son,” said Sangster. He said their entire drive took four days—stopping every eight to ten hours for rest. 

The pair stayed with family for a night in Winnipeg and then went on to sleep at campgrounds near Thunder Bay and Sault St. Marie before arriving in Toronto Sunday night for the game.

“We actually took the two back seats out of the minivan and we put my son's mattress in the back,” said Sangster. “I'm trying to save some pennies along the way.”

Game 1 of the ALCS kicked off shortly after 8 p.m. EST Sunday night, and the Blue Jay’s George Springer came out with a bang, hitting a solo home run in the first inning, putting the team in the lead. 

Springer’s hit was the first-ever leadoff homer in Blue Jay’s post-season history, according to Major League Baseball.

“That was really fun to watch,” said Kai. He was most excited to watch