Toronto Blue Jays: Difference between revisions

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
2024 Toronto Blue Jays season
	Established in 1977;
	File:TorontoBlueJays 100.png
	Team logo
Major league affiliations
	American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present); ; ;
Name
	Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present);
Ballpark
	Rogers Centre (1989–present);
Major league titles
World Series titles (2)	1992 • 1993
AL Pennants (2)	1992 • 1993
East Division titles (5)	1985 • 1989 • 1991 • 1992; 1993
Wild card berths (0)	None

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
2024 Toronto Blue Jays season
	Established in 1977;
	File:TorontoBlueJays 100.png
	Team logo
Major league affiliations
	American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present); ; ;
Name
	Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present);
Ballpark
	Rogers Centre (1989–present);
Major league titles
World Series titles (2)	1992 • 1993
AL Pennants (2)	1992 • 1993
East Division titles (5)	1985 • 1989 • 1991 • 1992; 1993
Wild card berths (0)	None

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The Toronto Blue Jays are a Major League Baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for being the only team from outside the United States to win the World Series. They are in the Eastern Division of the American League.

They are the only team in the Major Leagues outside the United States after the Montreal Expos who were relocated to Washington, D.C. to become the Washington Nationals after the 2004 season. The 2006 season is the Blue Jays' 30th season.

Franchise history

Growing pains (1977-1981)

The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1976 as one of two teams slated to join the American League for the next season (the other being the Seattle Mariners). Toronto had been mentioned as a major league city several times in the previous century and had been home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League from 1930 to 1967. The San Francisco Giants were considering a move to the city until the team was purchased by Bob Lurie in 1976.

The franchise was originally owned by Labatt Breweries, with Imperial Trust and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce as minority owners. The Blue Jays played their first game ever on April 7, 1977 against the Chicago White Sox. They won 9-5, led by Doug Ault's two home runs. Snowflakes were seen during the game.

The Blue Jays faired poorly in both 1978 and 1979, losing over 100 games in each of those seasons. 1979 was highlighted by shortstop Alfredo Griffin being named American League co-Rookie of the Year.

1980 saw Bobby Mattick take over the role of manager from Roy Hartsfield, the Blue Jays' original manager.

1981 was the strike season, and despite dramatically improving their winning percentage in the second half, the Blue Jays still finished in last place in the American League East in both halves of the season.

Getting Competitive (1982-88)

Toronto's first solid season came in 1982 as they finished 78-84. Their pitching staff was led by starters Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy and Luis Leal, and the outfield featured a young Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield.

In 1983, the Blue Jays compiled their first winning record, 89-73, finishing in fourth place, 9 games behind the eventual World Series champions, the Baltimore Orioles.

The Blue Jays' progression continued in 1984, finishing with the same 89-73 record, but this time in second place behind another World Series champions, the Detroit Tigers.

After 1984, Alfredo Griffin went to the Oakland Athletics, thus giving a permanent spot to young Dominican shortstop Tony Fernandez. 1985 saw Toronto win their first championship of any sort: the first of their five American League East division titles. The Blue Jays featured strong pitching and a balanced offense. Their mid-season call up of relief pitcher Tom Henke also proved to be important. They finished 99-62 (the franchise record for most wins), two games in front of the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays faced the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), and took a 3 games to 1 lead. However, Kansas City won three consecutive games to win the series 4 games to 3, on their way to their first, and only, World Series championship.

The Blue Jays could not duplicate their success in 1986, despite an excellent season from right fielder Jesse Barfield, who hit 40 home runs.

1987 saw the Blue Jays lose a thrilling division race to the Detroit Tigers by 2 games, after being swept in the final series by the Tigers. The Blue Jays finished with a 96-66 record, second best in the major leagues, but to no avail. George Bell was named MVP of the American League.

In 1988, however, Toronto again could not duplicate the successes of the previous season, tying the Milwaukee Brewers for third in the division. Still, the season had numerous highlights. First baseman Fred McGriff hit 34 home runs, and Dave Stieb had back-to-back starts in which he lost a no-hitter with two out in the ninth inning.

"We're Moving to the Dome!" (1989-91)

1989, which saw the opening of the Jays' new retractable-roofed home, SkyDome, also marked the start of an extremely successful five-year period for Toronto. Early in the season, in May, management fired Jimy Williams and replaced him with hitting instructor Cito Gaston. The club had a 12-24 record at the time of the firing, but recorded a 77-49 record under their new manager to win the American League East by 2 games. In the ALCS, Rickey Henderson led the Oakland Athletics to a 4-1 series win.

In 1990, the Blue Jays again had a strong season, but finished in second place, 2 games behind the Boston Red Sox. Dave Stieb pitched his first and only no-hitter, beating the Cleveland Indians 3 games to 0. During the offseason, the Blue Jays made one of the two biggest trades in franchise history, sending shortstop Tony Fernandez and first baseman Fred McGriff to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Joe Carter and second baseman Roberto Alomar. This would prove to be an excellent trade, as the Blue Jays again won the division in 1991. Once again, however, they fell short in the postseason, losing to the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS, who were on their way to their second World Series victory in five years.

Toronto became the first Major League club ever to draw over 4 million fans in one season.

Team Record 1989: 89 Wins - 73 Losses, W%- 0.549

Team Record 1990: 86 Wins - 76 Losses, W%- 0.531, GB-2

Team Record 1991: 91 Wins - 71 Losses, W%- 0.562

The Glory Years (1992-1993)

After the 1991 season had ended, the Blue Jays acquired pitcher Jack Morris, who had led the Minnesota Twins to victory in the World Series by pitching a 10-inning complete game shutout in Game 7 and had been named the World Series MVP.

The 1992 regular season went well, as the Jays finished four games in front of the Milwaukee Brewers, with a record of 96-66. They met the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS, winning 4 games to 2. The pivotal game of the series was Game 4. The Blue Jays rallied back from a 6-1 deficit, capped by Roberto Alomar's huge game tying 2-run homer off reliever Dennis Eckersley, on their way to an 11-inning, 7-6 win, to lead the series 3 games to 1. The Blue Jays then faced the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The pivotal game in this series turned out to be Game 2, in which reserve player Ed Sprague hit a 9th-inning 2-run home run off Jeff Reardon to give the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead, which would hold up. Game 6, with the Blue Jays leading 3 games to 2, was a very close game. Toronto was one strike away from winning in the bottom of the 9th inning, 2-1, but Jeff Blauser singled in the tying run off Blue Jays' closer Tom Henke. It was the first run the Toronto bullpen had given up in the series. The game was decided in the 11th inning, when Dave Winfield doubled, driving in 2 runs. The Braves would again come within one run in the bottom of the 11th, but Jays reliever Mike Timlin fielded Otis Nixon's bunt, throwing to Joe Carter at first base for the final out. The Blue Jays became the first team based outside of the United States to win the World Series. Pat Borders, the Jays' catcher, was the unlikely player who was named MVP after hitting .450 with one home run in the World Series. Oddly, Morris was acquired in large part for his reputation as a clutch postseason pitcher, but he went 0-3 in the playoffs. Morris, however, pitched well in the regular season, becoming the Blue Jays' first 20-game winner, with a record of 21-6 and an ERA of 4.04.

File:Jays original logo.gif

The Original Logo of the Toronto Blue Jays (1977-1996)

After the 1992 season, the Blue Jays let Dave Winfield and Tom Henke go, but signed free agents Paul Molitor from the Milwaukee Brewers and Dave Stewart from the Oakland Athletics.

In 1993, the Blue Jays had seven All-Stars: hitters Devon White, Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter and John Olerud, starter Pat Hentgen, and closer Duane Ward. In August, the Jays acquired former nemesis Rickey Henderson from the Athletics. The Blue Jays cruised to a 95-67 record, seven games ahead of the New York Yankees, winning their third straight division title. The Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 4 games to 2 in the ALCS, and then the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 2, for their second straight World Series victory. The World Series featured several exciting games, including Game 4, played under a slight rain, in which the Blue Jays came back from a 14-9 deficit to win 15-14 and take a 3 games to 1 lead in the series. It remains the highest scoring game in World Series history. Game 6 saw the Blue Jays lead 5-1, but give up 5 runs in the 7th inning to trail 6-5. In the bottom of the 9th inning, in the SkyDome, Joe Carter (who was on the brink of going to the Kansas City Royals before the season began) hit a one-out, three-run walkoff home run to clinch the series, off Phillies closer "The Wild Thing" Mitch Williams. This is the only time in the history of Major League Baseball that a team hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of a 9th inning to turn what would have been a loss into a win, and win the World Series. In the regular season, three Blue Jays, John Olerud, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar finished 1-2-3 for the AL batting crown.

Team Record 1992: 96 Wins - 66 Losses, W%- 0.593

Team Record 1993: 95 Wins - 67 Losses, W%- 0.586

Post-World Series letdowns (1994-2001)

Expectations were high for the Blue Jays for the 1994 season, following back-to-back championships, but they slumped to a 55-60 record before the players' strike. It was their first losing season since 1982. Joe Carter, Paul Molitor and John Olerud enjoyed good years at the plate, but the pitching fell off. Juan Guzmán slumped considerably from his first three years (40-11, 3.28 ERA), finishing 1994 at 12-11 with a 5.68 ERA.

1995 was an even worse season for the Blue Jays, as they finished 56-88 in another strike-shortened season. Three young players, Alex S. Gonzalez, Carlos Delgado and Shawn Green, did show a lot of promise for the future. Labatt Breweries was bought by Belgian-based brewer Interbrew, making the Blue Jays the second baseball team owned by interests outside the United States or Canada. Interestingly, the first was the Blue Jays' expansion brethren, the Mariners, owned by Nintendo.

1996 was another mediocre year for the Blue Jays, highlighted by Pat Hentgen's Cy Young Award (20-10. 3.22 ERA). Ed Sprague had a career year, hitting 36 home runs and driving in 101 runs.

File:JaysLate90s.jpg

Blue Jays logo (1997–2002).

The Blue Jays started 1997 with high hopes. Not only did the Jays drastically change their uniforms, they signed former Boston Red Sox ace Roger Clemens to a $24,750,000 contract. Clemens had one of the best pitching seasons ever as he won the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the American League with a record of 21-7, a 2.05 ERA and 292 strikeouts. This was not enough to lead the Blue Jays to the postseason, however, as they ended the year 76-86. Cito Gaston, the manager, was fired at the end of the year.

Before the start of the 1998 season, the Blue Jays acquired closer Randy Myers and slugger José Canseco. Gaston was replaced with Tim Johnson, a relative unknown but a former Blue Jay. The pitching was strong, again led by Clemens' second straight pitching triple crown (20-6, 2.65 ERA, 271 strikeouts), but the hitting was mediocre, and the Blue Jays finished 88-74, in third place, 26 games behind the New York Yankees, who posted one of the greatest records in all of baseball history.

Before the 1999 season, the Blue Jays traded Roger Clemens to the Yankees for starting pitcher David Wells, second baseman Homer Bush and relief pitcher Graeme Lloyd. They also fired Tim Johnson, after Johnson lied about several things (including killing people in the Vietnam War), in order to motivate his players. Johnson was replaced with Jim Fregosi, who managed the Phillies when they lost to the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series. The offense picked up somewhat in 1999, but the pitching suffered without Clemens, as the Blue Jays finished 84-78.

On November 8th, 1999, Toronto traded star outfielder Shawn Green to the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed relief pitcher Pedro Borbón and right-fielder Raúl Mondesí. This was due to the fact that the Blue Jays had only enough money to sign one of Green or Delgado, and the Jays decided to keep Delgado.

2000 proved to be a similar season, as the Jays had an 83-79 record, well out of the wild card race. Carlos Delgado had a stellar year, hitting .344 with 41 home runs, 57 doubles, 137 RBI, 123 walks and 115 runs. In addition, six other players hit 20 or more home runs, an outstanding feat. José Cruz Jr., Shawn Green, Tony Batista, Darrin Fletcher, Shannon Stewart, and Brad Fullmer all contributed to the powerful heart of the lineup.

On September 1st, 2000, Rogers Communications Inc. purchased 80% of the baseball club with Interbrew (now InBev) maintaining 20% interest and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce relinquishing its 10% share.

Buck Martinez, a former catcher and broadcast announcer for the Blue Jays, took over as manager before the 2001 season. The Blue Jays were back under .500 for 2001, finishing at 80-82, with mediocre pitching and hitting. Delgado led the team again with 39 home runs and 102 RBI. After the 2001 season ended, the Blue Jays let go of general manager Gord Ash, who had taken over from Pat Gillick following the 1994 season.

The Sabermetric regime (2002-current)

J.P. Ricciardi was named general manager and was expected to slash the payroll, in order to stem the tide of red ink. Ricciardi, a former assistant to Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, is known as one of the more sabermetrically aware GMs in the game. During the off-season, the team traded or let go several regular players, including Alex S. Gonzalez, Paul Quantrill, Brad Fullmer and closer Billy Koch.

2002: Year of transition

The Blue Jays started the 2002 season with slow progress in performance. Buck Martinez was fired about a third of the way through the season, with a 20-33 record. He was replaced by third base coach Carlos Tosca. They went 58-51 under Tosca to finish the season 78-84. Roy Halladay was the team's top pitcher, finishing the season with a 19-7 record and a 2.93 ERA. The hitters were led once again by Carlos Delgado. Ricciardi was credited for dumping Raul Mondesi in mid-season to the New York Yankees to free up his salary, which in turn was used for the off-season signing of Mike Bordick, Frank Catalanotto and Tanyon Sturtze. Promising young players were assigned to key roles, including starting third baseman Eric Hinske and 23-year old center fielder Vernon Wells who had his first 100 RBI season.

Team Record 2002: 78 Wins - 84 Losses, W%- 0.481, GB- 25.5

2003: A spectacular preview of the future

The 2003 season was a surprise to both team management and baseball analysts. After a poor April, the team had its most successful month ever in May. The offense was mainly responsible for the stunning turnaround. Delgado took over the major league lead in runs batted in, followed closely by Wells. The middle infield positions remained a gametime decision - Bordick played shortstop and third base, Dave Berg second base and third base, Chris Woodward shortdtop and Orlando Hudson second base. Minor league call-up Howie Clark entered the mix as a utility player after Hinske underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his right hand, which he had tried to play through for the first six weeks.

File:JaysEarly2000s.jpg

Blue Jays logo (2003).

Despite their hitting successes, poor pitching continued to plague the team. Roy Halladay was spectacular in winning his first Cy Young Award, going 22-7, with a 3.25 ERA, but he didn't get much help from his fellow pitchers. Rookie Aquilino Lopez was a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen. Kelvim Escobar and former NBA player Mark Hendrickson were inserted into the rotation with their places in the bullpen filled by waiver acquisitions Doug Davis and Josh Towers. The closer role was a season-long revolving door, with nobody able to take hold of the reins. Trade speculation had focussed on the acquisitions of pitching at the expense of hitters, but in the end the team simply divested itself of impending free agent Shannon Stewart without getting a pitcher in return. Instead Bobby Kielty, another outfielder with a much lower batting average than Stewart's, was obtained from the Minnesota Twins and later traded in November 2003 to the Oakland Athletics for starter Ted Lilly. The top four pitchers for the projected 2004 rotation would include Halladay, Lilly, free agent Miguel Batista, and the return of Pat Hentgen.

After the spectacular turnaround in May 2003, which helped the team move to just few games behind the wildcard leading Boston Red Sox, team performance slowly returned to reality, as predicted by team management. Carlos Delgado was second in the voting for the American League MVP although the Jays were in third place in their division. The Jays also announced that a new logo and new uniforms would be used as of January 1st, 2004.

Team Record 2003: 86 Wins - 76 Losses, W%- 0.531, GB- 15

2004: Dreadful Rebuilding Process

The 2004 season was a disappointing year for the Blue Jays right from the beginning. They started the season 0-8 at the Skydome and never started a lengthy winning streak. Much of that was due to injuries to All-Stars Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay among others. Although the additions of starting pitchers Ted Lilly and Miguel Batista and reliever Justin Speier were relatively successful, veteran Pat Hentgen faltered throughout the season and retired on July 24th. Rookies and minor league callups David Bush, Jason Frasor, Josh Towers and others filled the void in the rotation and the bullpen; however, inconsistent performances were evident. Most starting pitchers did not pitch further than the sixth inning; thus, the overused bullpen contributed to the frequent relinquishing of early scoring leads.

File:TorontoBlueJays.jpg

Current Blue Jays logo (2004–present).

The offense really sputtered due to the injuries of Wells, Delgado, Catalanotto and others. Five different catchers were used: Greg Myers, Bobby Estalella, Kevin Cash, Gregg Zaun, and rookie Guillermo Quiroz. Greg Myers was injured running the bases in Minnesota, early in the season, and was lost for the year. Bobby Estalella was called up, but he proved to be brittle as well. Gregg Zaun landed the starting catching job for the rest of the season. Kevin Cash continued to struggle from an offensive standpoint and would be moved in the offseason. The highly-touted Guillermo Quiroz was promoted from the minors near the end of the season.

The once highly-regarded slugger Josh Phelps was limited to playing against lefthanded pitching and was traded to the Cleveland Indians for first baseman Eric Crozier.

With the team struggling in last place and mired in a five-game losing streak, manager Carlos Tosca was fired on August 8th, 2004 and was replaced by first-base coach John Gibbons through the end of the season. The Jays' trying year would also touch long-time radio announcer Tom Cheek, who had to break his streak of calling all 4,306 regular season games in franchise history, upon the death of his father. Cheek had to take more time off later to remove a brain tumor, and by the end of the season, Cheek only called the home games.

Nevertheless, prospects Russ Adams, Gabe Gross, and Alexis Rios provided excitement for the fans. Adams hit his first major league home run in his second game, in which Gross also earned his own first major league grand slam. Alexis Rios was among the MLB Rookie of the Year Award candidates. However, the award went to Bobby Crosby of the Oakland Athletics. Rookie pitchers David Bush, Gustavo Chacin and Jason Frasor also showed promise for the club's future.

On October 2nd, 2004, the Toronto Blue Jays announced the dismissals of pitching coach Gil Patterson and first-base coach Joe Breeden, effective at the end of the season. One day later, the Blue Jays finished the 2004 campaign with a 3-2 loss against the New York Yankees in front of an announced crowd of 49,948. However, the Jays' annus horribilis continued after the game, when it was announced that former pitcher and current TV broadcaster John Cerutti died suddenly of natural causes at the age of 44.

More losses to the Jays family came in the offseason. Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member Bobby Mattick, the manager from 1980 to 1981 and perhaps the best baseball man in the organization, suffered a stroke and died at the age of 89. Mattick had also served as the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Blue Jays. A few days before Christmas, the Jays also mourned the loss of former first baseman Doug Ault, who had hit two home runs in the team's inaugural game in 1977; he was 54.

Rogers Communications, the owner of the Jays, purchased SkyDome from Sportsco International in November 2004 for approximately $25,000,000 CAD ($21,240,000 million USD), just a fraction of the construction cost.

Just days after superstar Carlos Delgado became a free agent after the club refused arbitration, the Jays announced the signing of Manitoban third baseman Corey Koskie, formerly of the Minnesota Twins. One month after Koskie was inked, the Jays traded pitching prospect Adam Peterson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for corner infielder/DH Shea Hillenbrand.

Team Record 2004: 67 Wins - 94 Losses, W%- 0.416, GB- 33.5

2005: Showing promise, loss of a legend and opening the wallet

On February 2nd, 2005, several days after finalising the purchase of SkyDome by Rogers Communications, Rogers, to the widespread chagrin and derision of Jays fans, renamed the stadium the Rogers Centre. In spite of the best efforts of the new ownership, a wide majority of Blue Jays fans continued (and still continue) to refer to the stadium as SkyDome. By the start of the season Rogers had upgraded the stadium with a new "JumboTron" videoboard and added other state-of-the-art video screens around the stadium. Also, the AstroTurf surface was replaced by the more natural-looking FieldTurf. Owner Ted Rogers also promised a payroll increase to $210,000,000 over the next 3 years, which allowed the team to have a team payroll of $80,000,000 per year.

The Blue Jays finished spring training with a 16-10 record. Among the stars of spring training was Gabe Gross, who tied the Jays' record for most home runs in spring training with eight (the previous record breaker was long time Blue Jay Carlos Delgado). The Jays were able to translate their success in spring training into an excellent start - the team led the AL East from early to mid-April and held their record around .500 until late August. The Jays were hit with the injury bug when third baseman Corey Koskie broke his finger, taking him out of the lineup, but the club was pleasantly surprised with the performance of rookie callup Aaron Hill in his stead.

On July 8th, just prior to the All-Star break, Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was struck on the shin by a line drive from Texas left fielder Kevin Mench and was placed on the DL with a fractured leg. The injury cost Halladay his chance to be the American League starter in the All-Star Game in Detroit; his place on the All-Star squad was taken by Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement. Though Halladay's injury was hoped to be minor, the recovery process was met with constant delays, and Halladay did not play a single game in 2005 after the All-Star break. Team management officially announced that he would miss the rest of the season in August. The Halladay injury is seen by many as the negative turning point in the Jays season; the team had been in serious wild card contention at the time, but afterwards fell out of the race and failed to make the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year.

On July 22nd, Toronto traded utility infielder John McDonald to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations. This gave the Blue Jays an open spot on the roster so that Aaron Hill could stay with the team when Corey Koskie returned from injury.

On July 28th, Toronto played in the longest game in franchise history, inningswise, an 18-inning marathon against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Rogers Centre. The Jays won 2-1, after nearly five hours of play when Orlando Hudson hit a line drive past a drawn in infield, scoring Alex Rios from third base.

The shutdown of Halladay for the remainder of the season seemed to affect the performance of the Jays. They went on a slump that brought their record under .500 in the beginning of September. From there, the Blue Jays finished the season 80-82 while receiving glimpses of the future from September call-ups Guillermo Quiroz, John-Ford Griffin, and Shaun Marcum. Marcum made himself noteworthy by posting an ERA of 0.00 over 5 relief appearances and 8 innings in September. Griffin hit his first career home run in the last game of the season and ended up going 4 for 13.

Josh Towers also stepped up, showing largely unseen potential going 7-5 with a 2.91 ERA in the 2nd half of the year and a 13-12, 3.71 ERA season overall, making him arguably the unlikely ace of the Jays rotation with Halladay injured and Gustavo Chacín faltering somewhat after the All-Star break.

The 2005 Jays inability to score with men in scoring position was a turning point in many games that ended up as losses, also contributing to the 80-82 record.

On October 9th, the Jays, along with their fans, mourned the loss of inaugural broadcaster Tom Cheek. Cheek, 66, succumbed to brain cancer after just over a year-long battle. Cheek had broadcasted 4,306 consecutive games since the first day of the franchise. His streak was ended in June 2004 when he took time off to visit his ailing father.

In the off-season, general manager J.P. Ricciardi began to make good use of the money that had been granted to the Jays by Rogers Communications before the season. Rogers had given Ricciardi $210,000,000 over 3 years, which became $75,000,000 a season to spend, $25,000,000 more than the previous year. Ricciardi fulfilled the team's need for a stable closer by signing former Baltimore Orioles standout B.J. Ryan to the richest contract ever for a reliever - a 5-year, $47,000,000 on November 28th. Following that, the club awarded a 5-year, $55,000,000 contract to highly coveted starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, formerly of the Florida Marlins, on December 6th. Just a day later, the Jays acquired solid-hitting first baseman Lyle Overbay and right-handed pitching prospect Ty Taubenheim in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers; with pitcher David Bush, pitching prospect Zach Jackson, and outfielder Gabe Gross going to Milwaukee

On December 23rd, 2005, Rogers Sportsnet reported that the Jays added a much needed 30 plus home run hitter to their lineup by getting third baseman Troy Glaus and minor league shortstop Sergio Santos in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, the Diamondbacks received second baseman and 2005 Gold Glove Award winner Orlando Hudson and pitcher Miguel Batista. Glaus passed a team physical on December 26th, and the trade was officially announced the next day, with Glaus being introduced to the Toronto media.

Team Record 2005: 80 Wins - 82 Losses, W%- 0.494, GB- 15

2006: A New Hope

The "new" Toronto Blue Jays Playing at Rogers Centre, 2006

On January 3rd, J.P. Ricciardi signed free-agent catcher Jason Phillips to a minor league contract. Phillips, who hit .238 the previous season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, also had an invitation to spring training, was supposed to have competed with Guillermo Quiroz for the role of the Blue Jays' backup catcher. Quiroz was later claimed on waivers by the Seattle Mariners, and Phillips started the season with the team after Gregg Zaun was put on the disabled list.

The trades for Glaus and Overbay in the off season created a glut of corner infielders for the Jays, as the team now had five players (Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay, Eric Hinske, Corey Koskie, and Shea Hillenbrand) who could play third base, first base, or designated hitter. The Jays relieved some of this pressure on January 6th, by trading Corey Koskie to the Brewers in the second deal between the two clubs in less than a month. Coming to the Blue Jays in return for Koskie was minor league pitcher Brian Wolfe. The Blue Jays also converted former third-baseman Eric Hinske, to right field.

On February 6th, Toronto signed former Angels catcher Bengie Molina to a one-year contract worth with an option for a second. Three days later, Toronto wrapped up its off season moves by re-signing Shea Hillenbrand and Pete Walker, each to a one year deal.

Fox Sports News' Ken Rosenthal predicted that the Toronto Blue Jays would be the 2006 World Series Champions[1].

[2] On July 2nd, Troy Glaus, Vernon Wells, Roy Halladay, B.J. Ryan, and Alex Rios (unable to play due to injury, replaced) were picked to go to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Along with them the manager John Gibbons was also picked as an assistant coach for the AL team. This was the most all stars selected for the game since 1993. The only AL team with more All-Stars than the Jays was the World Series champion the Chicago White Sox, with six.[3]

On July 7th, Troy Glaus was picked to compete in the 2006 Homerun Derby, during the Homerun Derby, Troy only hit one home run and was eliminated in the first round.

On July 19th, infielder Shea Hillenbrand was designated for assignment after an altercation with the team management. Shortly after Hillenbrand, along with reliever Vinnie Chulk, was traded to the San Francisco Giants for reliever Jeremy Accardo.

On August 3rd, rookie second baseman Ryan Roberts started his first game in the MLB, and had his first hit, which was a homerun. He is one of few Blue Jays rookies to have his first hit a homerun in his first start.

On August 12th, the Blue Jays got the Minnesota Twins to hit into 6 double plays tying a Blue Jays record set on April 16th, 1996. (Blue Jays vs. Detroit).

On August 16th, Blue Jays traded reliever Scott Schoeneweis to the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later.

Players

Current roster

The Toronto Blue Jays are a Major League Baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for being the only team from outside the United States to win the World Series. They are in the Eastern Division of the American League.

They are the only team in the Major Leagues outside the United States after the Montreal Expos who were relocated to Washington, D.C. to become the Washington Nationals after the 2004 season. The 2006 season is the Blue Jays' 30th season.

Franchise history

Growing pains (1977-1981)

The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1976 as one of two teams slated to join the American League for the next season (the other being the Seattle Mariners). Toronto had been mentioned as a major league city several times in the previous century and had been home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League from 1930 to 1967. The San Francisco Giants were considering a move to the city until the team was purchased by Bob Lurie in 1976.

The franchise was originally owned by Labatt Breweries, with Imperial Trust and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce as minority owners. The Blue Jays played their first game ever on April 7, 1977 against the Chicago White Sox. They won 9-5, led by Doug Ault's two home runs. Snowflakes were seen during the game.

The Blue Jays faired poorly in both 1978 and 1979, losing over 100 games in each of those seasons. 1979 was highlighted by shortstop Alfredo Griffin being named American League co-Rookie of the Year.

1980 saw Bobby Mattick take over the role of manager from Roy Hartsfield, the Blue Jays' original manager.

1981 was the strike season, and despite dramatically improving their winning percentage in the second half, the Blue Jays still finished in last place in the American League East in both halves of the season.

Getting Competitive (1982-88)

Toronto's first solid season came in 1982 as they finished 78-84. Their pitching staff was led by starters Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy and Luis Leal, and the outfield featured a young Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield.

In 1983, the Blue Jays compiled their first winning record, 89-73, finishing in fourth place, 9 games behind the eventual World Series champions, the Baltimore Orioles.

The Blue Jays' progression continued in 1984, finishing with the same 89-73 record, but this time in second place behind another World Series champions, the Detroit Tigers.

After 1984, Alfredo Griffin went to the Oakland Athletics, thus giving a permanent spot to young Dominican shortstop Tony Fernandez. 1985 saw Toronto win their first championship of any sort: the first of their five American League East division titles. The Blue Jays featured strong pitching and a balanced offense. Their mid-season call up of relief pitcher Tom Henke also proved to be important. They finished 99-62 (the franchise record for most wins), two games in front of the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays faced the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), and took a 3 games to 1 lead. However, Kansas City won three consecutive games to win the series 4 games to 3, on their way to their first, and only, World Series championship.

The Blue Jays could not duplicate their success in 1986, despite an excellent season from right fielder Jesse Barfield, who hit 40 home runs.

1987 saw the Blue Jays lose a thrilling division race to the Detroit Tigers by 2 games, after being swept in the final series by the Tigers. The Blue Jays finished with a 96-66 record, second best in the major leagues, but to no avail. George Bell was named MVP of the American League.

In 1988, however, Toronto again could not duplicate the successes of the previous season, tying the Milwaukee Brewers for third in the division. Still, the season had numerous highlights. First baseman Fred McGriff hit 34 home runs, and Dave Stieb had back-to-back starts in which he lost a no-hitter with two out in the ninth inning.

"We're Moving to the Dome!" (1989-91)

1989, which saw the opening of the Jays' new retractable-roofed home, SkyDome, also marked the start of an extremely successful five-year period for Toronto. Early in the season, in May, management fired Jimy Williams and replaced him with hitting instructor Cito Gaston. The club had a 12-24 record at the time of the firing, but recorded a 77-49 record under their new manager to win the American League East by 2 games. In the ALCS, Rickey Henderson led the Oakland Athletics to a 4-1 series win.

In 1990, the Blue Jays again had a strong season, but finished in second place, 2 games behind the Boston Red Sox. Dave Stieb pitched his first and only no-hitter, beating the Cleveland Indians 3 games to 0. During the offseason, the Blue Jays made one of the two biggest trades in franchise history, sending shortstop Tony Fernandez and first baseman Fred McGriff to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Joe Carter and second baseman Roberto Alomar. This would prove to be an excellent trade, as the Blue Jays again won the division in 1991. Once again, however, they fell short in the postseason, losing to the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS, who were on their way to their second World Series victory in five years.

Toronto became the first Major League club ever to draw over 4 million fans in one season.

Team Record 1989: 89 Wins - 73 Losses, W%- 0.549

Team Record 1990: 86 Wins - 76 Losses, W%- 0.531, GB-2

Team Record 1991: 91 Wins - 71 Losses, W%- 0.562

The Glory Years (1992-1993)

After the 1991 season had ended, the Blue Jays acquired pitcher Jack Morris, who had led the Minnesota Twins to victory in the World Series by pitching a 10-inning complete game shutout in Game 7 and had been named the World Series MVP.

The 1992 regular season went well, as the Jays finished four games in front of the Milwaukee Brewers, with a record of 96-66. They met the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS, winning 4 games to 2. The pivotal game of the series was Game 4. The Blue Jays rallied back from a 6-1 deficit, capped by Roberto Alomar's huge game tying 2-run homer off reliever Dennis Eckersley, on their way to an 11-inning, 7-6 win, to lead the series 3 games to 1. The Blue Jays then faced the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The pivotal game in this series turned out to be Game 2, in which reserve player Ed Sprague hit a 9th-inning 2-run home run off Jeff Reardon to give the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead, which would hold up. Game 6, with the Blue Jays leading 3 games to 2, was a very close game. Toronto was one strike away from winning in the bottom of the 9th inning, 2-1, but Jeff Blauser singled in the tying run off Blue Jays' closer Tom Henke. It was the first run the Toronto bullpen had given up in the series. The game was decided in the 11th inning, when Dave Winfield doubled, driving in 2 runs. The Braves would again come within one run in the bottom of the 11th, but Jays reliever Mike Timlin fielded Otis Nixon's bunt, throwing to Joe Carter at first base for the final out. The Blue Jays became the first team based outside of the United States to win the World Series. Pat Borders, the Jays' catcher, was the unlikely player who was named MVP after hitting .450 with one home run in the World Series. Oddly, Morris was acquired in large part for his reputation as a clutch postseason pitcher, but he went 0-3 in the playoffs. Morris, however, pitched well in the regular season, becoming the Blue Jays' first 20-game winner, with a record of 21-6 and an ERA of 4.04.

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The Original Logo of the Toronto Blue Jays (1977-1996)

After the 1992 season, the Blue Jays let Dave Winfield and Tom Henke go, but signed free agents Paul Molitor from the Milwaukee Brewers and Dave Stewart from the Oakland Athletics.

In 1993, the Blue Jays had seven All-Stars: hitters Devon White, Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor, Joe Carter and John Olerud, starter Pat Hentgen, and closer Duane Ward. In August, the Jays acquired former nemesis Rickey Henderson from the Athletics. The Blue Jays cruised to a 95-67 record, seven games ahead of the New York Yankees, winning their third straight division title. The Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 4 games to 2 in the ALCS, and then the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 2, for their second straight World Series victory. The World Series featured several exciting games, including Game 4, played under a slight rain, in which the Blue Jays came back from a 14-9 deficit to win 15-14 and take a 3 games to 1 lead in the series. It remains the highest scoring game in World Series history. Game 6 saw the Blue Jays lead 5-1, but give up 5 runs in the 7th inning to trail 6-5. In the bottom of the 9th inning, in the SkyDome, Joe Carter (who was on the brink of going to the Kansas City Royals before the season began) hit a one-out, three-run walkoff home run to clinch the series, off Phillies closer "The Wild Thing" Mitch Williams. This is the only time in the history of Major League Baseball that a team hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of a 9th inning to turn what would have been a loss into a win, and win the World Series. In the regular season, three Blue Jays, John Olerud, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar finished 1-2-3 for the AL batting crown.

Team Record 1992: 96 Wins - 66 Losses, W%- 0.593

Team Record 1993: 95 Wins - 67 Losses, W%- 0.586

Post-World Series letdowns (1994-2001)

Expectations were high for the Blue Jays for the 1994 season, following back-to-back championships, but they slumped to a 55-60 record before the players' strike. It was their first losing season since 1982. Joe Carter, Paul Molitor and John Olerud enjoyed good years at the plate, but the pitching fell off. Juan Guzmán slumped considerably from his first three years (40-11, 3.28 ERA), finishing 1994 at 12-11 with a 5.68 ERA.

1995 was an even worse season for the Blue Jays, as they finished 56-88 in another strike-shortened season. Three young players, Alex S. Gonzalez, Carlos Delgado and Shawn Green, did show a lot of promise for the future. Labatt Breweries was bought by Belgian-based brewer Interbrew, making the Blue Jays the second baseball team owned by interests outside the United States or Canada. Interestingly, the first was the Blue Jays' expansion brethren, the Mariners, owned by Nintendo.

1996 was another mediocre year for the Blue Jays, highlighted by Pat Hentgen's Cy Young Award (20-10. 3.22 ERA). Ed Sprague had a career year, hitting 36 home runs and driving in 101 runs.

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Blue Jays logo (1997–2002).

The Blue Jays started 1997 with high hopes. Not only did the Jays drastically change their uniforms, they signed former Boston Red Sox ace Roger Clemens to a $24,750,000 contract. Clemens had one of the best pitching seasons ever as he won the pitcher's Triple Crown, leading the American League with a record of 21-7, a 2.05 ERA and 292 strikeouts. This was not enough to lead the Blue Jays to the postseason, however, as they ended the year 76-86. Cito Gaston, the manager, was fired at the end of the year.

Before the start of the 1998 season, the Blue Jays acquired closer Randy Myers and slugger José Canseco. Gaston was replaced with Tim Johnson, a relative unknown but a former Blue Jay. The pitching was strong, again led by Clemens' second straight pitching triple crown (20-6, 2.65 ERA, 271 strikeouts), but the hitting was mediocre, and the Blue Jays finished 88-74, in third place, 26 games behind the New York Yankees, who posted one of the greatest records in all of baseball history.

Before the 1999 season, the Blue Jays traded Roger Clemens to the Yankees for starting pitcher David Wells, second baseman Homer Bush and relief pitcher Graeme Lloyd. They also fired Tim Johnson, after Johnson lied about several things (including killing people in the Vietnam War), in order to motivate his players. Johnson was replaced with Jim Fregosi, who managed the Phillies when they lost to the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series. The offense picked up somewhat in 1999, but the pitching suffered without Clemens, as the Blue Jays finished 84-78.

On November 8th, 1999, Toronto traded star outfielder Shawn Green to the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed relief pitcher Pedro Borbón and right-fielder Raúl Mondesí. This was due to the fact that the Blue Jays had only enough money to sign one of Green or Delgado, and the Jays decided to keep Delgado.

2000 proved to be a similar season, as the Jays had an 83-79 record, well out of the wild card race. Carlos Delgado had a stellar year, hitting .344 with 41 home runs, 57 doubles, 137 RBI, 123 walks and 115 runs. In addition, six other players hit 20 or more home runs, an outstanding feat. José Cruz Jr., Shawn Green, Tony Batista, Darrin Fletcher, Shannon Stewart, and Brad Fullmer all contributed to the powerful heart of the lineup.

On September 1st, 2000, Rogers Communications Inc. purchased 80% of the baseball club with Interbrew (now InBev) maintaining 20% interest and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce relinquishing its 10% share.

Buck Martinez, a former catcher and broadcast announcer for the Blue Jays, took over as manager before the 2001 season. The Blue Jays were back under .500 for 2001, finishing at 80-82, with mediocre pitching and hitting. Delgado led the team again with 39 home runs and 102 RBI. After the 2001 season ended, the Blue Jays let go of general manager Gord Ash, who had taken over from Pat Gillick following the 1994 season.

The Sabermetric regime (2002-current)

J.P. Ricciardi was named general manager and was expected to slash the payroll, in order to stem the tide of red ink. Ricciardi, a former assistant to Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, is known as one of the more sabermetrically aware GMs in the game. During the off-season, the team traded or let go several regular players, including Alex S. Gonzalez, Paul Quantrill, Brad Fullmer and closer Billy Koch.

2002: Year of transition

The Blue Jays started the 2002 season with slow progress in performance. Buck Martinez was fired about a third of the way through the season, with a 20-33 record. He was replaced by third base coach Carlos Tosca. They went 58-51 under Tosca to finish the season 78-84. Roy Halladay was the team's top pitcher, finishing the season with a 19-7 record and a 2.93 ERA. The hitters were led once again by Carlos Delgado. Ricciardi was credited for dumping Raul Mondesi in mid-season to the New York Yankees to free up his salary, which in turn was used for the off-season signing of Mike Bordick, Frank Catalanotto and Tanyon Sturtze. Promising young players were assigned to key roles, including starting third baseman Eric Hinske and 23-year old center fielder Vernon Wells who had his first 100 RBI season.

Team Record 2002: 78 Wins - 84 Losses, W%- 0.481, GB- 25.5

2003: A spectacular preview of the future

The 2003 season was a surprise to both team management and baseball analysts. After a poor April, the team had its most successful month ever in May. The offense was mainly responsible for the stunning turnaround. Delgado took over the major league lead in runs batted in, followed closely by Wells. The middle infield positions remained a gametime decision - Bordick played shortstop and third base, Dave Berg second base and third base, Chris Woodward shortdtop and Orlando Hudson second base. Minor league call-up Howie Clark entered the mix as a utility player after Hinske underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his right hand, which he had tried to play through for the first six weeks.

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Blue Jays logo (2003).

Despite their hitting successes, poor pitching continued to plague the team. Roy Halladay was spectacular in winning his first Cy Young Award, going 22-7, with a 3.25 ERA, but he didn't get much help from his fellow pitchers. Rookie Aquilino Lopez was a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen. Kelvim Escobar and former NBA player Mark Hendrickson were inserted into the rotation with their places in the bullpen filled by waiver acquisitions Doug Davis and Josh Towers. The closer role was a season-long revolving door, with nobody able to take hold of the reins. Trade speculation had focussed on the acquisitions of pitching at the expense of hitters, but in the end the team simply divested itself of impending free agent Shannon Stewart without getting a pitcher in return. Instead Bobby Kielty, another outfielder with a much lower batting average than Stewart's, was obtained from the Minnesota Twins and later traded in November 2003 to the Oakland Athletics for starter Ted Lilly. The top four pitchers for the projected 2004 rotation would include Halladay, Lilly, free agent Miguel Batista, and the return of Pat Hentgen.

After the spectacular turnaround in May 2003, which helped the team move to just few games behind the wildcard leading Boston Red Sox, team performance slowly returned to reality, as predicted by team management. Carlos Delgado was second in the voting for the American League MVP although the Jays were in third place in their division. The Jays also announced that a new logo and new uniforms would be used as of January 1st, 2004.

Team Record 2003: 86 Wins - 76 Losses, W%- 0.531, GB- 15

2004: Dreadful Rebuilding Process

The 2004 season was a disappointing year for the Blue Jays right from the beginning. They started the season 0-8 at the Skydome and never started a lengthy winning streak. Much of that was due to injuries to All-Stars Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay among others. Although the additions of starting pitchers Ted Lilly and Miguel Batista and reliever Justin Speier were relatively successful, veteran Pat Hentgen faltered throughout the season and retired on July 24th. Rookies and minor league callups David Bush, Jason Frasor, Josh Towers and others filled the void in the rotation and the bullpen; however, inconsistent performances were evident. Most starting pitchers did not pitch further than the sixth inning; thus, the overused bullpen contributed to the frequent relinquishing of early scoring leads.

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Current Blue Jays logo (2004–present).

The offense really sputtered due to the injuries of Wells, Delgado, Catalanotto and others. Five different catchers were used: Greg Myers, Bobby Estalella, Kevin Cash, Gregg Zaun, and rookie Guillermo Quiroz. Greg Myers was injured running the bases in Minnesota, early in the season, and was lost for the year. Bobby Estalella was called up, but he proved to be brittle as well. Gregg Zaun landed the starting catching job for the rest of the season. Kevin Cash continued to struggle from an offensive standpoint and would be moved in the offseason. The highly-touted Guillermo Quiroz was promoted from the minors near the end of the season.

The once highly-regarded slugger Josh Phelps was limited to playing against lefthanded pitching and was traded to the Cleveland Indians for first baseman Eric Crozier.

With the team struggling in last place and mired in a five-game losing streak, manager Carlos Tosca was fired on August 8th, 2004 and was replaced by first-base coach John Gibbons through the end of the season. The Jays' trying year would also touch long-time radio announcer Tom Cheek, who had to break his streak of calling all 4,306 regular season games in franchise history, upon the death of his father. Cheek had to take more time off later to remove a brain tumor, and by the end of the season, Cheek only called the home games.

Nevertheless, prospects Russ Adams, Gabe Gross, and Alexis Rios provided excitement for the fans. Adams hit his first major league home run in his second game, in which Gross also earned his own first major league grand slam. Alexis Rios was among the MLB Rookie of the Year Award candidates. However, the award went to Bobby Crosby of the Oakland Athletics. Rookie pitchers David Bush, Gustavo Chacin and Jason Frasor also showed promise for the club's future.

On October 2nd, 2004, the Toronto Blue Jays announced the dismissals of pitching coach Gil Patterson and first-base coach Joe Breeden, effective at the end of the season. One day later, the Blue Jays finished the 2004 campaign with a 3-2 loss against the New York Yankees in front of an announced crowd of 49,948. However, the Jays' annus horribilis continued after the game, when it was announced that former pitcher and current TV broadcaster John Cerutti died suddenly of natural causes at the age of 44.

More losses to the Jays family came in the offseason. Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member Bobby Mattick, the manager from 1980 to 1981 and perhaps the best baseball man in the organization, suffered a stroke and died at the age of 89. Mattick had also served as the Vice President of Baseball Operations for the Blue Jays. A few days before Christmas, the Jays also mourned the loss of former first baseman Doug Ault, who had hit two home runs in the team's inaugural game in 1977; he was 54.

Rogers Communications, the owner of the Jays, purchased SkyDome from Sportsco International in November 2004 for approximately $25,000,000 CAD ($21,240,000 million USD), just a fraction of the construction cost.

Just days after superstar Carlos Delgado became a free agent after the club refused arbitration, the Jays announced the signing of Manitoban third baseman Corey Koskie, formerly of the Minnesota Twins. One month after Koskie was inked, the Jays traded pitching prospect Adam Peterson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for corner infielder/DH Shea Hillenbrand.

Team Record 2004: 67 Wins - 94 Losses, W%- 0.416, GB- 33.5