2006 Toronto Blue Jays

After a mediocre performance in the 2005 MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays are poised to make a breakthough in 2006. The Blue Jays finished the 2005 regular season with a .494 win average, placing them at the middle of the American League East, so long dominated by those twin powerhouses, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. This year, though, the Jays' owners have loosened the pursestrings, winning the bidding was for pitchers A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan to complete an already strong pitching rotation. So Toronto baseball fans are hoping to see more improvements in the Blue Jays' game this season. Tickets to the Rogers Centre are moving fast - don't miss your chance to catch the Toronto Blue Jays in action in 2006!

The Toronto Blue Jays have been around for a fairly short amount of time compared to some of the more storied Major League Baseball franchises. The Blue Jays first came into the American League in 1977. Despite this, the Blue Jays have won four division titles, and two World Series Championships back-to-back in 1992 and 1993.

Those Blue Jay teams were managed by Cito Gaston and had a great balance between offense and defense. They had great pitchers Juan Guzman, Dave Stewart, Jimmy Key, and Al Leiter. The offense on those championship teams was led by Roberto Alomar, Ed Sprague, Paul Molitor and Joe Carter. Carter was the author of the most famous moment in Blue Jays' history. In the 9th inning of game 6 of the 1993 World Series, Carter hit a walk-off, World Series-winning home run off Phillies' closer Mitch Williams. The home run made Carter an instant hero. The Blue Jays have not won a division series since that Carter home run, partly because of playing in such a competitive division. The Blue Jays play in the American League East against such rivals as the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Yankees.

From 1977 until early 1989 the Blue Jays played outdoors at Exhibition Stadium. Ticket holders in Toronto had to deal with the cold Canadian weather at the beginning and end of the season. In 1989, the first retractable-roof stadium in baseball opened in Toronto. Formerly known as the SkyDome, this impressive structure is now known as Rogers Centre.

Note: Though often spelled Bluejays, the correct spelling is Blue Jays. While a lot of fans still write it Bluejays, you will not find Bluejays in the newspaper.