TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto Blue Jays were anointed as World Series favorites after a sizzling second half finish to the season that brought them back to the Major League Baseball playoffs for the first time in 22 years.
Below .500 at the all-star break, the Blue Jays took flight and closed out the campaign with a 43-18 run that made them the postseason darlings.
Mostly overlooked in the Blue Jay hoopla were Toronto's American League Division Series opponents the Texas Rangers, who grabbed everyone's attention on Thursday with a 5-3 Game One win to take control of the best-of-five series.