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Toronto Blue Jays
From BR Bullpen
Franchise Record: (through 2012) 2,828-2,879-3
Post Season Record: 21-20
World Series Titles: 2 (1992, 1993)
American League Pennants: 2 (1992, 1993)
Playoffs: 5 (1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993)
Ballparks: Exhibition Stadium (April 7, 1977-May 28, 1989), Rogers Centre (June 5, 1989-)
Franchise Players: Dave Stieb, George Bell, Jesse Barfield, Jimmy Key, Tom Henke, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells
Retired Numbers: 12 (Roberto Alomar); 42 (Jackie Robinson - retired throughout baseball)
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[edit] Team History
The Toronto Blue Jays were created in the expansion of 1977. The team played in old Exhibition Stadium, before relocating in 1989 to the Skydome (now named Rogers Centre), the first stadium with a removable roof in major league history. The franchise's first 5 years of life were dismal, but the Jays were able to develop a winner in the early 1980s by sticking with a core of young players. The basic core that bridged the gap from the last place team of 1980 to the AL East winning 1985 Blue Jays was:
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The team became competitive in 1982 finishing 78-84. The franchise had its first winning record in 1983. The 1984 Blue Jays found their first star in George Bell and added a veteran starter, Doyle Alexander. In 1985, under skipper Bobby Cox, Jesse Barfield emerged as a star, and Tony Fernandez replaced the departed Alfredo Griffin, resulting in the franchise's first postseason appearance. The team was competitive through the 1980s and eventually won the World Series in 1992 and repeated in 1993. From 1985 to 1993, the Jays were the dominant team in the AL East, winning 5 divisional titles (1985, 1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993) and two world championships (1992 and 1993). In 1992, led by the talent of 2B Roberto Alomar, CF Devon White, RF Joe Carter, 1B John Olerud, DH Dave Winfield, and pitchers Jack Morris, Juan Guzman, David Cone and Duane Ward, the Jays became the first - and so far only - foreign team to win a World Series, defeating the Atlanta Braves in 6 games. That year, Cito Gaston became the first black manager to lead a championship team. They then became the first team to win back-to-back world championships since the 1977-1978 New York Yankees by repeating as champions in 1993, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games on Joe Carter's dramatic Series-ending home run off Mitch Williams at the Skydome. The team then gradually fell out of contention, feeling the effects of sharing a division with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, two of the biggest spending teams in baseball.
In 2006, the Jays were one of the busiest teams in the off-season, adding big-name players such as RHP A.J. Burnett, RP B.J. Ryan, 3B Troy Glaus, C Bengie Molina and 1B Lyle Overbay. While the club was improved and finished in second place, they still fell short of the postseason.
[edit] Toronto managers
- Roy Hartsfield 1977-1979
- Bobby Mattick 1980-1981
- Bobby Cox 1982-1985
- Jimy Williams 1986-1989
- Cito Gaston 1989-1997
- Mel Queen 1997
- Tim Johnson 1998
- Jim Fregosi 1999-2000
- Buck Martinez 2001-2002
- Carlos Tosca 2002-2004
- John Gibbons 2004-2008
- Cito Gaston 2008-2010
- John Farrell 2011-
[edit] Toronto general managers
- Peter Bavasi 1976-1977
- Pat Gillick 1977-1994
- Gord Ash 1994-2001
- J.P. Ricciardi 2001-2009
- Alex Anthopoulos 2009-present
[edit] Further Reading
- David Luchuk: Blue Jays 1, Expos 0: The Urban Rivalry that Killed Major League Baseball in Montreal, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2007.
Source:
- Peter Filichia: Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebrations of All 273 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present, Addison Wesley Publishing Company (March 1993)
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