2009 Toronto Blue Jays

The 2008 season wasn’t the Toronto Blue Jays’ best, ending with a 4th place finish in the tough AL East. Though they lost number 2 starter A.J. Burnett, they picked up Mike Maroth, Michael Barrett, Kevin Millar, Ken Takahashi and Matt Clement. The difference between a winning season and a losing one will most likely come down to the performance of the Jays’ two most exciting prospects: Adam Lind and Travis Snider. If Lind and Snider can realize their potential, then the Jays have a real shot at the division title and beyond. What the team can use now is a stadium full of supportive fans, so get your Rogers Centre tickets and help the Toronto Blue Jays make the 2009 season a success!

Beginnings

The Toronto Blue Jays were created in 1977 as Canada’s second Major League team. The team struggled for its first few years, finishing in last place for 6 straight years. Bobby Cox became manager in 1982 and the team immediately began improving, finishing fourth in 1983 and second the year after. Then, in 1985 Cox led the team to its first Division title and postseason berth. Unfortunately for Toronto fans, the team lost to the eventual world champion Kansas City Royals.

The Blue Jays remained competitive and reached the playoffs again in 1989. That year also saw the opening of the Blue Jays’ brand new state of the art stadium: Skydome. This new stadium featured a hotel and the first retractable roof ever built. Protected by the sometimes fierce Toronto weather, fans flocked to the new stadium by the millions.

World Series Winners

In 1992 the Blue Jays finally broke through winning their first postseason series and making their first World Series appearance. Once there they thrilled their fans by defeating the Atlanta Braves in 6 games and bringing the World Series north of the border for the first time. That Blue Jays team, led by Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, and Jack Morris, won the World Series again in 1993. They became the first team to repeat in 15 years when Joe Carter hit a series winning homerun off of Phillies closer Mitch Williams.

Even though the Blue Jays have not made it back to the World Series, they have fielded several strong teams recently that have narrowly missed the playoffs. They continue to pack Skydome, now known as the Rogers Centre.