1989 Toronto Blue Jays season

Regular season

The regular season represented a turning point for the Blue Jays in several ways. They began the 1989 season in Kansas City against the Royals, winning 4–3 behind Jimmy Key's pitching. After the first month, the team had 10 wins and 20 losses, sitting 6.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles. On April 30, general manager Pat Gillick made his first trade in 605 days, sending Jesse Barfield to the New York Yankees for Al Leiter. Management believed Rob Ducey was ready to be an everyday outfielder, but the spot eventually went to Junior Felix, and Ducey never became the everyday player the Jays had envisioned. After a three-game sweep by the Minnesota Twins, including a 13–1 loss, the Blue Jays had 12 wins and 24 losses, having lost 15 of their last 19 games. On May 15, Jimy Williams became the first Blue Jays manager to be fired in mid-season, replaced by Cito Gaston, the first black manager in franchise history. The SkyDome was intended to be ready for the start of the season, but construction delays caused by widespread worker strikes across Ontario postponed the move. The Blue Jays played their last game at Exhibition Stadium against the Chicago White Sox, the same team they had faced in their first game there twelve years earlier. They opened the new SkyDome with a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers and clinched the American League East division title at the new ballpark on September 30. Notable events included Kelly Gruber hitting for the cycle on April 16 in a 15–8 win over the Kansas City Royals, and Junior Felix hitting a home run in his first Major League at-bat on May 4 against the California Angels, becoming the 60th Major Leaguer to achieve the feat. On May 28, the Blue Jays played their final game at Exhibition Stadium, a 7–5 10-inning win over the Chicago White Sox, with George Bell hitting the game-winning home run.