Toronto Blue Jays

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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. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team, frequently finishing last in their division. In 1983, they had their first winning season and two years later, became division champions. From 1985 to 1993, the Blue Jays were an AL East powerhouse, winning five division championships in nine seasons, including three consecutive from 1991 to 1993. During that run, the team also became back-to-back World Series champions in 1992 and 1993, led by a core group of award-winning All-Star players, including Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, John Olerud, and Devon White. The Blue Jays became the first (and, to date, only) team based outside the U.S. to appear in and win a World Series and the fastest AL expansion team to do so, winning in their 16th year. Following their championship sea

In Their Own Story

After 1993, the Blue Jays failed to qualify for the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons until clinching a berth in 2015. During that drought, they faced unique challenges, such as playing their entire 2020 season at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through 49 seasons of baseball, the team has recorded 28 seasons at .500 or better, with 27 being winning campaigns. They have qualified for the playoffs 11 times, winning three American League pennants and two World Series titles. Their postseason history includes five eliminations by eventual World Series champions: the Royals in 1985 and 2015, the Athletics in 1989, the Twins in 1991, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.

Reader's Guide

The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1976 as one of two teams slated to join the American League for the following season via the 1977 Major League Baseball expansion. Toronto had been mentioned as a potential major league city as early as the 1880s and been home to the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League from 1896 to 1967. In January 1976, the San Francisco Giants nearly relocated to Toronto after owner Horace Stoneham agreed to sell the team to a Canadian consortium. The group, which included Labatt Breweries of Canada, The Globe and Mail's Howard Webster, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), planned to rebrand the team as the Toronto Giants and play at Exhibition Stadium. However, a court ruling halted the move, and the Giants remained in San Francisco. Despite this setback, Toronto's ambition for an MLB team persisted, leading to their successful bid in the 1976 American League expansion, driven by a need to balance the league after Seattle was granted a team as a result of a lawsuit over their loss of the Pilots. The new Toronto franchise, purchased for $7 million, was named the Toronto Blue Jays following a contest that attracted over 4,000 suggestions. The name reflected Toronto's tradition of using blue in team colours and was influenced by majority owner Labatt Breweries' flagship beer, Labatt Blue. The franchise's first employee, Paul Beeston, began as vice president of business operations, and before the inaugural 1977 season, Peter Bavasi and Pat Gillick were appointed as president and assistant general manager, respectively. The Blue Jays debuted on April 7, 1977, with a win against the Chicago White Sox amid a snowstorm, marking the beginning of a journey from early struggles to eventual success. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays showed gradual improvement, highlighted by their first winning season in 1983. The team's fortunes rose significantly under manager Bobby Cox in 1985 when they won their first American League East title. The late 1980s and early 1990s, under manager Cito Gaston, were particularly successful, with the Blue Jays winning multiple division titles and back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993, making them the first team outside the US to achieve this feat. Key players during this golden era included Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, and Dave Sti

Did You Know?

• The Blue Jays became the first 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 in a season.
• Dave Stieb holds the franchise record with seven All-Star selections.
• The Blue Jays are one of only two MLB teams wholly under corporate ownership, along with the Atlanta Braves.