Toronto's average temperature rising fastest among Major League Baseball cities
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A recent study has found that Toronto's average temperature has risen 3 degrees Celsius — the most among all Major League Baseball cities during the playing season — over the past 40 years.
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'I was a little surprised,' said Jennifer Brady, senior data analyst and research manager at the United States-based non-profit Climate Central. 'There are some places in the U.S. where the summers are not getting that much warmer, so in that sense, I knew those places were going to be in the Midwest. Just looking at that general Great Lakes region and Toronto was above all of those cities, notably. It was a surprising result to see that.'
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The Arizona Diamondbacks, based in Phoenix, were second on Climate Central's list with a 2.8 C rise. The average temperatures across all of MLB's 27 cities have gone up about 1.7 degrees since 1974, according to the study.
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The Blue Jays (56-41) opened a six-game homestand on Friday night when they welcomed — and bested — the San Francisco Giants (52-46) at Rogers Centre.
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A heat wave in Toronto ended on Thursday, with the temperature expected to reach a high of 21 on Friday, 28 on Saturday and 27 on Sunday. Another heat wave is predicted on Wednesday with a high of 31 anticipated as the Blue Jays finish a three-game series with the visiting New York Yankees.
Rogers Centre's dome is closed during extreme heat warnings in Toronto, a necessary safety measure for players, staff and fans. Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners reliever Trent Thornton both fell ill during a heat wave that hit the Midwest on the weekend of June 21-22 in St. Louis and Chicago, respectively.
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'When you have players getting sick on the field, that is going to really spotlight that this is not just a few people being uncomfortable, this is finely tuned athletes who cannot handle this heat,' Brady said. 'Obviously, people can't just put a dome on the stadium easily. That's why moving to say night games may be one way to at least have more games when it's a little cooler and not during the hottest part of the day.'
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Brady noted that one reason the average temperature is rising across the continent is that while nighttime is cooler, it's not cooling off as fast as it once did.
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Another contributing factor to the study's findings is that the baseball season stretches from late March to October but those opening and closing months are not as cool as they once were.
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'Summer no longer starts in June and ends at the end of August. Summer temperatures are well into May and September,' said Brady. 'We're almost capturing the new summer with the baseball season.'
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Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Forget AL East crown, Blue Jays taking aim at top of AL or MLB
A summer of opportunity awaits for a first-place Blue Jays team playing with a purpose and growing sense of something special Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer, right, is doused by teammates after they defeated the New York Yankees in Toronto on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Photo by Thomas Skrlj / THE CANADIAN PRESS The Blue Jays woke up on Monday in first place in the American League East, preparing to defend that honour with another three-game series against the New York Yankees. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account And as crazy as it sounds, retaining that placing could be the least of their goals, given their recent surging success. Yes, as they prepare for their 100th game of a season rapidly steaming to the most important stretch, the Jays have the second-best record in the American League and almost incredibly, the fourth-best in all of Major League Baseball. Yes, the sudden, scintillating rise through the standings as they approach being two thirds through the season has manager John Schneider's team in position for much more than its first division title in a decade. 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National Post
an hour ago
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Forget AL East crown, Blue Jays taking aim at top of AL or MLB
The Blue Jays woke up on Monday in first place in the American League East, preparing to defend that honour with another three-game series against the New York Yankees. Article content And as crazy as it sounds, retaining that placing could be the least of their goals, given their recent surging success. Article content Article content Yes, as they prepare for their 100th game of a season rapidly steaming to the most important stretch, the Jays have the second-best record in the American League and almost incredibly, the fourth-best in all of Major League Baseball. Article content Yes, the sudden, scintillating rise through the standings as they approach being two thirds through the season has manager John Schneider's team in position for much more than its first division title in a decade. Article content And yes, when the Jays attempt to set the franchise record with an 11th consecutive home win on Monday night against Aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers, there are heady, higher aspirations within their reach. Article content Perhaps getting comfortable and more confident with the division lead – where they've sat for the past 19 days now – another series win against the Yanks would entrench that status and increase the three-game margin currently in place. Article content But here's where things get seriously enticing for the Jays, who with that 58-41 are now hot on the heels of the only team better than them in the American League, the Detroit Tigers, who at 60-40 lead the AL Central. Article content Chasing down the Tigers for the league lead has huge benefit come post season but even the No. 2 seed is of huge significance, should the Jays be able to retain it through the remaining 63 games. To get a bye through the wildcard round that has yielded such crushing disappointment the previous two times they participated in the post season, is a potentially huge development. Article content With so much of the season remaining, there could be a temptation to pump the brakes on some of the most exuberant enthusiasm. There is surely a downturn to come at some point, though it feels as though the Jays are better equipped to deal with a slump than they've been in a while. Article content There are health concerns and persistent needs for the top half of the order to contribute offensively in a more meaningful way. And pitching wise, there will be a need for reinforcements. Article content But countering any of those doubts is the way the Jays have reached their current spot and the growing sense of something special developing within a resilient group that is finding ways to win in multiple ways. Article content And here's where what happens off of the field over the next 10 days matters in a large way. With a fired-up fan base, a united clubhouse and a team that seems to be relishing the intangibles of what a winning team feels like, it's on general manager Ross Atkins to enhance what's happening in a meaningful way.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
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He wanted a clean card and wound up going his final 26 holes bogey-free. Woods was so utterly dominant his only competition came from himself. That's how it felt with Scheffler when he won the claret jug for the third leg of the career Grand Slam at Royal Portrush. Scheffler went 32 holes without a bogey until he took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker on No. 8 and made double bogey. What stood out to Scheffler in his four-shot victory was the lack of bogeys, the DNA of his dominance. 'To only have one double — really one one over-par hole in the last 36 holes of a major championship — that's how you're able to win these tournaments,' he said. He won the British Open by four shots. He won the PGA Championship in May by five shots. He won by four in the 2024 Masters. Scheffler was five shots ahead on the final hole in his first Masters win in 2022 when he four-putted while simply trying to finish. There are plenty of numbers to consider, starting with his position at No. 1 in the world. No one has held it longer since Woods. Scheffler and Woods are the only players in the last 50 years to win two majors in the same year by at least four shots. Researchers with time on their hands at the PGA Tour discovered Scheffler and Woods each went 1,197 days between winning their first and fourth majors. Enough of the comparisons, Scheffler said. 'I still think they're a bit silly,' he said. 'Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.' For majors alone, a better comparison would be with Rory McIlroy. He also won four majors in three years, including two of them in 2014. McIlroy won a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship by eight shots, the latter a record margin. And then he went 11 years without a major. Greatness in golf is also about longevity. Scheffler won for the fourth time this year and now has 20 victories worldwide. He has won 11 straight times with the 54-hole lead. The 29 year old from Texas was introduced as champion golfer of the year, a title the R&A has used for more than a century. Scheffler at this rate might be champion golfer of his generation. And to think he was slowed at the start of the year recovering from a puncture wound on his right hand from trying to cut ravioli with a wine glass. The year's top highlight still might be McIlroy winning the Masters amid tense drama to finally complete the Grand Slam. That was his third win of the season, following The Players Championship and Pebble Beach. McIlroy, however, sounded almost dismissive about them Sunday evening. 'I also had the three wins when Scottie wasn't quite on his game,' he said. Also driving the comparisons with Woods are high praise from just about everyone who has had to face Scheffler since that first win in 2022. 'He is the bar that we're all trying to get to,' McIlroy said. 'I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,' Xander Schauffele said. 'You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now.' Any hesitation about comparisons — besides the 15-4 tally in majors, as Scheffler is quick to point out — is their style of play. Woods was as dynamic as he was relentless, especially with recovery shots. Scheffler doesn't have that many because he's rarely out of position. Woods was groomed for stardom when he appeared on the Mike Douglas Show at age 2. Scheffler never cared about anything other than playing golf and getting better at it. 'He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily,' said Jordan Spieth. 'He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that.' He works. He competes. He wins. That's what Woods did, and that's what matters to Scheffler. 'I don't focus on that kind of stuff,' Scheffler said of the comparisons. 'That's not what motivates me. I'm not motivated by winning championships. I don't look at the beginning of the year and just say, 'I want to win X amount of tournaments.' I don't do that. 'When I wake up to practice, what motivates me is getting to live out my dream,' he said. 'I get to play professional golf, and I feel like I'm called to do it to the best of my ability.' Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
