The Toronto Blue Jays are the only Canadian professional baseball franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB). A bird with the same name inspired the franchise’s name. Located in the American League East division of Major League Baseball, the Blue Jays are a member club of the team. The team plays its home games at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto.
1. Rogers Communications, a Canadian media and communications company, owns the team. The team’s current president and CEO is Mark Shapiro.
2. The Toronto Blue Jays have existed for 38 years since their formation in 1977. They played their first match on April 7, 1977, against the Chicago White Sox in Toronto in front of 44,649 sports supporters. Even though some snowfall began just before the game started, the Jays won 9-5.
3. During the 1992 and 1993 seasons, the Blue Jays won the World Series two years in a row.
4. They were the first and only team outside the US to win the World Series.
5. The team held a naming contest in 1976, in which over 4,000 suggestions were made, which gave birth to the name “Blue Jays.” One hundred fifty-four individuals proposed the name “Blue Jays”. One periodontist, Dr Williams, was selected from a draw as the grand winner of the contest.
6. First introduced in 1979, BJ Birdy was the Blue Jays’ original mascot. In 1999 he was replaced. He served as the mascot for 20 years. The Blue Jays introduced fans to a pair of mascots in the late 2000s. The team later removed Diamond, while Ace has remained ever since.
7. As a former Blue Jay and second baseman, Roberto Alomar was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his service to the team. That is the first number to hang above the video board in the Rogers Centre in Toronto since it was retired by the Blue Jays in 1942.
8. Moreover, the Jays are the fastest/youngest expansion team to win the World Series in the history of Major League Baseball. Only after 16 years of existence the team achieved championship status in 1992.
9. In 1992, Jack Morris became the first player to win 20 games.
10. At the end of Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, Joe Carter knocked in three runs to defeat the Phillies 8-6.
11. First baseman Domingo Martinez made his debut in 1993.