No, your eyes, Jays fans, were not fooled. It was Colonel Sanders behind the plate.
A man who looks a lot like the KFC founder, down to his white suit, hair, mustache and Van Dyke beard, was spotted sitting behind home plate during Game 2 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night.
The Colonel became a viral sensation during the game, with fans taking to social media to hypothesize who the mystery man was.
“I don't know if last night was a fever dream or not, but apparently the biggest X factors in Game 2 of the World Series were Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Colonel Sanders, and the Jonas Brothers,” @BlueJayHunter posted on X.
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Some X users speculated that it was for promotional purposes, while others thought the Colonel was a fake.
“Dude, Tem Colonel Sanders doesn't count,” @2oldtorocknroll posted.
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Still others blamed his appearance for the Jays' defeat, citing the Japanese urban legend “The Colonel's Curse,” which suggests that the Colonel's ghost placed a curse on the Hanshin Tigers team.
“Forget the Jonas Brothers. We all know it was Colonel Sanders' curse,” @GerryBrown20 posted.
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During Saturday's game, the Jonas Brothers surprised some by performing a song in the bottom of the fifth inning with another celebrity appearance. The cast was announced the day before.
So who was the man in white behind the plate?
KFC confirmed that he was indeed the person sent by the company to promote the newly renamed sandwich.
The fast food chain will rename its “fan-favorite” Ginger Sandwich to the Dinger Sandwich in support of the Jays.
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“As baseball fever in the country reached new heights, we knew we needed to do something equally bold and step up to bat,” said Azim Akhtar, Interim Chief Marketing Officer, KFC Canada. “As a way to feed Canadian baseball fans, we decided to rename the iconic ginger sandwich the Dinger to celebrate hits, excitement and moments that bring fans together.”
With the spotlight shining brightly on the Blue Jays, other companies were trying to get in on the action, but Wendy's cheekily responded, “Sorry, Colonel. You're just out of luck.”
The Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays 5-1 in Game 2 of the Big 7 Championship. The series moves to Los Angeles with Game 3 to be played at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press