A Brief History of Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

The Toronto Blue Jays were once one of the most dominant Major League Baseball teams in the ’90s. Their inclusion in the same division as the New York York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox has stunted their growth in recent years but the Blue Jays have held their own. See allpro for MLB Lines

The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1976 along with the Seattle Mariners when Major League Baseball expanded. The name Blue Jays was derived from the ownership of the Toronto team the Labatt’s Brewery. Their most popular brand of beer was Labatt’s Blue and in their contest to name the team the name Blue Jays received the most positive feedback.

From the Toronto Blue Jays first game it was clear things would be different north of the border. On opening day April 7, 1977 just before the game there was a minor snow flurry just before the opening pitch. The Blue Jays early years were a slow building process as is the case with any organization beginning from scratch.

Toronto did not post a winning record until soon after the arrival of baseball coaching legend Bobby Cox. One year after Cox arrived in 1982 the Blue Jays broke the magical .500 winning percentage with a record of 89-73. Two years later the Blue Jays won their first of what would be five American League East championships in 1985.

The 1985 season was an incredible year for the Blue Jays. They won 99 games and beat their rivals the New York Yankees by two games. The Blue Jays were one game away from the World Series in 1985 when they dropped a 3-1 American League Championship Series lead to the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the first year the ALCS was expanded to seven games. The Blue Jays would have made the World Series under the original format.

Toronto entered the most successful time in their history from 1985-1995. The team assembled one of the most talented lineups in the history of baseball. Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Fred McGriff and pitcher Tom Henke all passed through the Sky Dome in Toronto during the Blue Jays best years of the franchise.

1992 and 1993 were the seasons when everything came together for Toronto. Toronto was the most dominant team in any era during their short time at the top and their two World Series victories were among the most exciting World Series ever played.

Tough times have befallen Toronto in the past 15 years and they have posted a winning record in seven of those seasons.  Enjoy allpro.com