Boos for O Canada as Yankees beat Blue Jays 9-6 in ALDS Game 3

Loud boos interrupted the performance of O Canada at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night before Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, a flareup of fan animosity that preceded a dramatic on-field comeback in which the Yankees avoided elimination with a 9-6 victory. The pregame reaction, captured on stadium video and reported by witnesses, began as singer Graham Rowat was introduced and swelled again as he finished the anthem, after which the crowd cheered when The Star Spangled Banner was played and a large American flag was unfurled.

The booing drew sharp reactions online from Canadian fans, who described it as disrespectful, and prompted discussion about sportsmanship as the rivals met in their first postseason matchup. Rowat, a performer from Peterborough, Ontario, now based in New York, said when reached by phone that he attributed the reaction to passionate fans. "Sports fans are passionate people. So I can put it down to that, and maybe not any larger event," he said, adding that in-ear monitors prevented him from hearing the crowd and that a staffer had warned him booing might occur.