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The Toronto Blue Jays started playing baseball in 1977 in the American League East. The team quickly finished in the bottom of the division, failing to produce a winning record until 1983.
Bobby Cox took over as manager in 1982 and began to turn the club around. The team had starters Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy, and Luis Leal and outfielders Llyod Moseby and Jesse Barfield. Cox’s first season brought the Blue Jays out of last place for he first time in the club’s history.
The next season brought the team its first winning record. The season after that, the Blue Jays won their first Eastern Division title. The Blue Jays lost in the ALCS to the Kansas City Royals, but the seven game series would signs of times to come.
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The Blue Jays continued posting winning records, but were kept out of the post season again until 1989, when they once again lost in the ALCS. By this time Fred McGriff, George Bell, and Jesse Barfield were the cornerstones of the offense and the pitching was strong with Jimmy Key, Jim Clancy, and Tom Henke.
The early ‘90s proved to be the Blue Jays time as they won three straight Eastern Division titles from 1991 to 1993 and won two straight World Series in 1992 and 1993.
The club featured a batting lineup that had Pat Borders, Joe Carter, Dave Winfield, Roberto Alomar, and Paul Molitor and a pitching staff with Dave Stewart Jack Morris, Pat Hentgan, and Tom Henke. The 1992 series took six games to defeat the Braves and the 1993 series took six to beat the Phillies.
The Blue Jays then began a fall from grace began after the player’s strike in 1994. The Blue Jays finished near the bottom of the division despite often posting good records. Those teams had great stars like Roger Clemens, David Wells, outfielder Shawn Green, and right fielder Raul Mondesil, but could never overcome the difficult Eastern Division or themselves.
The Blue Jays then began a fall from grace began after the player’s strike in 1994. The Blue Jays finished near the bottom of the division despite often posting good records. Those teams had great stars like Roger Clemens, David Wells, outfielder Shawn Green, and right fielder Raul Mondesil, but could never overcome the difficult Eastern Division or themselves.
The Blue Jays have continued to put together young talented teams, but have been unable to capitalize.
The Toronto Blue Jays hope to break out in the Amercian League East and overtake the Yankees and Red Sox to finish higher than eighth, where they have finished in eight of the last ten years. The club also hopes the season is not as riddled with injuries as last year. The team lost 950 games between all its players on the injured list, yet they still won 83 games.
The starting pitching looks strong with Roy Holiday as the ace of the staff. His 16 wins last season came with seven complete games. The rotation also has power pitchers A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, and Shaun Marcum in the middle of the rotation with Jesse Litch, a second-year sinkerball pitcher, completing the starting pitching staff. The bullpen looks solid with B.J. Ryan as closer and Jeremy Accardo, and Casey Janssen as setup men.
The offense is scary when it’s injured and terrifying to opposing pitchers when it’s healthy. First baseman Overbay is likely to hit 50 doubles this season as he returns from an injury-ended 2007. He joins solid hitters second baseman Aaron Hill and short stop David Eckstein and power hitter Scott Role at third and still-effective designated hitter Frank Thomas. The outfield will have plenty of pop with Vernon Wells in center field and Alex Rios in right. The exciting lineup will make the Toronto Blue Jays a great to watch as they at the Rogers Centre as the season's schedule runs deep into fall.