Kawasaki jokes his absence cost Blue Jays shot at World Series

Chicago Cubs infielder Munenori Kawasaki hoped his current and former team would meet in the World Series.

Unfortunately for Kawasaki, his dream matchup never came to fruition after the Toronto Blue Jays fell in five games in the American League Championship Series to the Cleveland Indians.

"Toronto lose and I was very sad," Kawasaki told Scott Mitchell of the Toronto Sun on Monday. "I love Toronto."

Cleveland's pitching limited the Blue Jays' potent offense to just eight runs over the five games, and Kawasaki joked that his absence from the clubhouse is the main reason why Toronto isn't in the World Series.

"Why did Toronto lose? Don't have Kawa," he said. "That's it."

Kawasaki's presence in the Blue Jays' dugout wasn't enough to get them to the Fall Classic in 2015, when they were bounced in six games by the Kansas City Royals.