This is the reason why the Tigers and Blue Jays are playing each other in the MLB Rivalry Weekend
There are some great matchups listed for the MLB Rivalry Weekend from May 16 to May 18. Tigers vs Blue Jays isn’t one of them.
Texas rivals Rangers and Astros will face off aft Globe Life Field. The Cubs will take on Pope XIV’s favorite team, the White Sox in the Crosstown Classic. The Ohio Cup will see Terry Francona return to Cleveland to take on the Guardians and one of the oldest rivalries in baseball will take place in Philadelphia where the Pirates travel to possibly see a Paul Skenes vs Bryce Harper face off.
There are other rivalries this weekend that make sense and are historical matchups ever since interleague play began in 1977, like the Mets vs the Yankees, but the Tigers and Blue Jays? I’ve been a Tigers fan my whole life and never realized Toronto and Detroit had a rivalry.
Why are the Tigers playing the Blue Jays in Rivalry Weekend?
Being from Northwest Ohio, I was always divided (and still am) when asked who my favorite team was. Cleveland was just a two-hour drive down down the turnpike, but the old Tiger’s stadium on the south side, was less than 90 minutes from home and we saw a lot more games there when I was a kid. I had to check now on Google Maps to see how far Detroit is from Cleveland and the distance is 170 miles.
According to MLB.com, the reason the Blue Jays are playing the Tigers is because “only” 234 miles separate the two cities. (BTW, it’s only 286 miles to Chicago from Motown)
#RivalryWeekend is here and each matchup comes with its own story behind it 👀
— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2025
Here’s a full breakdown of the first-ever Rivalry Weekend 🍿 pic.twitter.com/2o7k1jFM1N
It has got to be a tough job justifying some of these “forced” rivalries. The Ohio Cup makes sense and it’ll be great to see coaching legend Terry Francona return to Cleveland. I’ll accept this new rivalry for the Tigers, especially if they can sweep and keep their impressive record going this season.
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