Ottawa

A prospective juror successfully used the Toronto Blue Jays' upcoming playoff run as a reason not to be a jury member in an Ottawa murder trial.

The man, who had already been selected as a juror on a previous day, sent a note to Justice Patrick Smith explaining he has tickets to the Oct. 8 playoff game in Toronto. "I've waited 20 years for a moment like this," the man wrote in the note, which the judge read in court at the beginning of the trial Thursday.

The judge and the lawyers agreed to release the man from his civic duty.

"Hope you enjoy the game," the judge said affably before the man left the courtroom and was replaced by an awaiting alternate juror.

The Blue Jays clinched the American League East Division title Wednesday in Baltimore. The Jays haven't won the division since 1993.