Some habits die hard. Especially the ones formed in childhood, sitting in front of a glowing TV, rooting for pinstripes while the rest of the world watched objectively. Rob Manfred, MLB’s rule-bending, pace-fixing commissioner, may insist he governs with balance, but every so often, the curtain slips. And when it does, you don’t need instant replay to catch a little favoritism in the follow-through.

Once a human is born into this world, they will have their favorites in life: favorite sport, favorite sitcom, favorite movie, and so on. And just like that, even the MLB commissioner has his favorite team in all of baseball. And it so happens to be the Yankees.

In a recent interview with Pardon My Take, Manfred confessed that he grew up as a New York Yankees fan. He said, “I watch a lot of Yankees games still. I try to balance that off by equal time with the Mets because I live in New York… Most nights, I’m flipping between Yankees, Mets, and the Extra Innings package to follow what’s going on in the rest of the league.”

Manfred didn’t just grow up watching baseball—he grew up believing in the Yankees. Raised in upstate New York, Manfred had early access to both Yankees and Mets broadcasts on cable. But it was the Bronx Bombers who captured his family’s loyalty and his childhood heart. His first visit to Yankee Stadium in 1968 became a cherished memory he still fondly recalls today.

To his credit, Manfred has rarely let those roots influence his role as MLB commissioner publicly. His leadership has focused on modernization, unity among clubs, and preserving baseball’s broader integrity. Yet when he endorsed the Yankees’ early adoption of torpedo bats without hesitation, eyebrows rose fast. Even if legal, the swiftness of support felt unusually warm for one specific team.

This isn’t proof of bias, but it nudges the door open just wide enough to question. Manfred’s job demands fairness across thirty teams, not nostalgia for one from childhood. While he’s proven capable of objective governance, decisions like this stir perception more than clarity. Baseball thrives on trust, and even small shadows can cast long questions under the stadium lights.

So, is Manfred biased? Not quite. But baseball isn’t just about rules—it’s about optics, and optics can steal a game faster than a hanging curveball. When the MLB commissioner’s childhood loyalties echo into modern policy, it’s not always a good look. In a league where every call is scrutinized, even a hint of favoritism deserves its own replay review. After all, impartiality isn’t a luxury—it’s part of the job description.

His favorite is New York, but Rob Manfred wanted an MLB All-Star game in Toronto

Rob Manfred may roam the commissioner’s office with a rulebook in hand, but his compass still points to the Bronx. New York, his self-confessed favorite, remains the gravitational center of his baseball universe. Still, even Manfred knows when a debt is overdue. So as the midsummer spotlight dances around the league, he’s eyeing Toronto—not out of love, but perhaps out of guilt and a calendar that won’t let him forget 1991.

It’s been so long since Toronto hosted an MLB All-Star Game, Carlton Fisk was catching. That was 1991—back when the Rogers Centre still answered to “SkyDome” and the Blue Jays hadn’t won a title. Three decades later, the silence north of the border is deafening, especially for a team in a global city. And Manfred, baseball’s suit-wearing GPS, seems to be recalculating the route back to Canada finally.

“I’ve said before that a really significant factor… is when did you have the last one?” Manfred told reporters, practically pointing to Toronto with a velvet-gloved finger. “They’re kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time.” That time might finally arrive after three straight NL hosts wrap up their party circuit. With a $400 million facelift to Rogers Centre, Toronto’s bid just got a lot harder to ignore.

The 2026 game belongs to Philadelphia—timed for America’s 250th birthday—and 2027 goes to Chicago. That means 2028 could lean American League, and Toronto’s ready with renovated bones and championship dreams. USA Today reports the Jays and Orioles are frontrunners, but Baltimore last hosted in 1993, not 1991. Manfred’s heart may beat in the Bronx, but even he knows when history demands a detour.

Manfred may love his pinstripes, but even loyalty has to yield to logic and optics. If baseball’s about fairness, then Toronto isn’t just due—it’s overdue with interest. A $400 million upgrade isn’t a polite suggestion; it’s a flashing neon sign. The Bronx will always be home, but 2028 belongs to the highest bidder in nostalgia and blueprints. Time for the commissioner to trade sentiment for schedule and head north.