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1977-2000 Toronto Blue Jays 1977-2000 Toronto Blue Jays

1977 Expansion Team

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The Famous "Green Box"

What's a green box and why is it so famous? Well, just like a baseball dugout, that's where the stories are told. The "Green Box" appeared on the Baseball Historian web site during our inception back in 1999 and has been holding kangaroo court ever since. Enjoy the stories...

Toronto Blue Jays 1977-2000
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the American League as an expansion team in 1977. The new franchise played its home games in an old football park that was converted for baseball, Exhibition Field, until the opening of the vast Skydome in 1989.

The Blue Jays finished in last place their first five years. By 1983, under manager Bobby Cox, the Blue Jays captured 89 games, and were led by pitcher Dave Steib, the all-around play of Wllie Upshaw and Lloyd Moseby, and the great speed of Damaso Garcia and Dave Collins. From this year on, the Blue Jays would not end-up below .500 for the next 11 seasons.

In 1984, the club again won 89 games, 2nd place in the AL East. In 1985, Jesse Barfield, Tony Fernandez, George Bell and pitcher Jimmy Key were added to the team and they won their first-ever American League East title.

The new Skydome opened in 1989, and together with a winning ball-club, over 3,000,000 fans jammed the park. The Blue Jays once again took the AL East. Steib won 17 games, helped by the outstanding bullpen work of Tom Henke and Duane Ward, and new stars, Kelly Gruber and Fred McGriff became household names.

The Blue Jays signed free agent pitcher Jack Morris and outfielder Dave Winfield for 1992, and captured the AL pennant for the first time. They won the World Title defeating the Atlanta Braves in six games.

They repeated as Champions in 1993 by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series in six games. Baseballhistorian.com

 

Baseball History

Lloyd Moseby - Star Athlete
Lloyd Moseby- OF - Bats Left, Throws Right; Toronto Blue Jays 1980-89; Detroit Tigers 1990-91; Japan 1992

An outstanding athlete, Lloyd Moseby possessed loads of speed, power and fielding range. As a 19-year-old he was selected second in the June 1978 Free Agent Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He played in the minors and joined the Blue Jays in 1980. In 1983, he became the first-ever Blue Jay to score 100 runs in one year. In that season, Moseby hit .315, 170 hits, 31 doubles, 18 HRs scored 104 runs, and stole 27 bases. He repeated with an outstanding 1984 season - hitting .280, 28 Ds, 15 Ts, 18 HRs, 97 Runs and 92 RBIs, walked 78 times, stole 39 bases, and a good .372 on-base-pct.

Unfortuanately, after the above years, Moseby's career slumped and he was never quite able to repeat his early performances. He was traded to Detroit in 1990. Lloyd Moseby's career stats: .257 BA, 1494 hits in 1588 games, 273 Ds, 169 HRs, 869 Runs, and 280 stolen bases. Baseballhistorian.com

 

 

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Pat Hentgen - 1993 - First Full Season
Right-handed Pitcher... Born Detroit, Michigan -11/13/1968

The muscular, 6' 2", fastball pitcher, Pat Hentgen made his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in Sept 1991. Hentgen spent '91-'92 as a long reliever and began the 1993 season with two relief appearances before joining the Blue Jays starting rotation.

In his first start, on April 17, Hentgen posted an 8-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians. By the end the May, he was 6-2, with an ERA under 3.00. And then, he captured the attention of baseball fans across the nation - going 5-0 in June, and named the team's 'Pitcher of the Month'.

He was picked for his first All-Star Game, and finished the 1993 year with a 19-9 record, a 3.87 ERA , in 34 games spanning 216.3 innings.

His 19 wins were only 2 less than Toronto's all-time team record of 21 set by pitching ace Jack Morris in 1992.

Hentgen's compelling 12-2 road win/loss set a new all-time Blue Jay record. Baseballhistorian.com

 





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