Blue Jays hangover: There's always next year, Toronto fans say

Toronto fans spent Saturday recovering from a Blue Jays hangover that was 22 years in the making.

After the team's unbelievable comeback in the American Division League Series, it seemed impossible that the team wouldn't pull off a similar feat Friday night especially if you were a true fan.

The nail-biting Game 6 American Championship League Series loss was still too painful to talk about Saturday for some. But the optimists said they felt certain the team would #ComeTogether next year, stronger than ever.

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"It was tough, it was hard to watch, but I'm proud of the team," Will Main told CBC News Saturday. "It was a good season and it gave the city something to cheer about."

Main said he'd gone into the end of Game 6 with a good feeling, saying he thought the Jays had the momentum after Jose Bautista's two critical homers to give them a win.

"I'm a bit lost now, there's not much hope for the Leafs," he said."I think the Raptors get started in a couple of days so maybe I'll hitch onto that bandwagon."

'They showed the world'

Genevieve Blais pulled on her Blue Jays T-shirt Saturday with pride, saying that while she was disappointed the season ended, she's still proud of her team.

"I think they had a great season [and] they showed the world what they could do," she said.

"Unfortunately they just couldn't push it over the top, but that's OK next year!" her companion Daniel Nelles said.

AndBlais said she's already looking ahead to spring.

"I just checked my phone and pitchers and catchers report again in February so it's not that long until the next season."

Hanging in until spring

That's good news for staff at the Front Street Boston Pizza who are expecting a drop in sales with the end of the playoffs, their front-of-house manager said.

"People stay, they watch the game, they come in after the game. We've just been busy every day for the last six months," Tyler Gillespie said.

Boston Pizza's not alone. Moneris, a firm that installs and operates credit and debit card machines, says that Toronto restaurants reported a 19 per cent boost in credit and debit card transactions during the playoffs, while bars saw a 26 per cent jump.

"So now it's the waiting game until the next season," Gillespie said. "The staff will definitely lose some hours, but we just have to hang in there again until next spring."