Toronto Blue Jays

Lore & Background

The name 'Blue Jays' originates from the blue jay bird, and blue is also the traditional colour of Toronto's collegiate and professional sports teams including the Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Argonauts (Canadian football). In 1976, out of the over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name 'Blue Jays.' In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the 'Jays,' the team's official colours are royal blue, white, red, and navy blue. An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at SkyDome upon its opening in 1989. They are the second MLB franchise to be based outside the United States, and the only one remaining since the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, became the Washington Nationals in 2005. Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications and in 2004, SkyDome was purchased by that company, which renamed it Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves are the only two MLB teams wholly under corporate ownership; the Blue Jays are the only American League team to be under such ownership. Due to border restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Jays played home games at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, for April and May of the 2021 season, and Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, for the 2020 season as well as June and July 2021, returning home to Toronto on July 30 of that year.

Reader's Guide

The Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals met in the 1985 ALCS.

Did You Know?

• The Blue Jays became the first (and, to date, only) team based outside the U.S. to appear in and win a World Series.
• In 1991, the Blue Jays became the first MLB team to attract over four million fans, with an attendance of 4,001,526.
• Dave Stieb holds the franchise record with seven All-Star selections.