A Brief History of the Toronto Blue Jays: Five decades, two World Series wins and one unforgettable bat flip
To celebrate the team’s 50th season, we’re looking back at the defining moments that got us here
April 7, 1977 The team wins its very first game, played during a snowstorm against the Chicago White Sox at Exhibition Stadium.
October 2, 1983 Managed by Bobby Cox, the Jays have their first winning season, finishing with an 89–73 record.
October 5, 1985 The Jays beat the Yankees and make the playoffs for the first time before blowing a 3–1 series lead against the Kansas City Royals.
Related: The Redemption Tour—The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?
October 4, 1987 A promising season with a powerful lineup ends on its knees: the Jays squander a three-and-a-half-game division lead over the Detroit Tigers by dropping seven games in a row. It will go down as one of the darkest moments in franchise history.
June 5, 1989 The Jays trade Exhibition Stadium and its shoddy sight-lines for the SkyDome, a brand new stadium designed to hold 53,000 people.
September 2, 1990 In a game against the Cleveland Indians, starter Dave Stieb throws the team’s first no-hitter after coming close multiple times. The Toronto Star’s headline the next day: “FINALLY!”
October 11, 1992 Facing off against the Oakland A’s fearsome reliever Dennis Eckersley—the 1992 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner—Roberto Alomar hits a two-run homer to tie the game. The Jays go on to win the game and the ALCS.
October 24, 1992 After defeating the Atlanta Braves 4–3 in game six, the Jays become the first Canadian team to win the World Series.
October 23, 1993 Touch ’em all, Joe! Outfielder Joe Carter hits his iconic ninth-inning walk-off home run over the SkyDome’s left-field wall, making the Jays back-to-back World Series champs.
August 19, 2002 The Jays celebrate their 2,000th franchise win, a 2–0 victory against the Kansas City Royals.
September 6, 2003 Roy Halladay, a bright light in the Jays’ post-dynasty years, pitches a rare 10-inning shutout against the Detroit Tigers. Two months later, Halladay wins the Cy Young Award, one of only four Blue Jays to do so.
September 25, 2003 The game against Tampa Bay isn’t especially high stakes, but no one tells Carlos Delgado: the first baseman earns eternal bragging rights by becoming the 15th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game.
February 2, 2005 After purchasing the SkyDome for $25 million, Rogers Communications renames the stadium the Rogers Centre.
June 20, 2008 Cito Gaston, beloved manager during the Jays’ 1992 and ’93 World Series championships, is hired back to bring the team out of a 35–39 slump. The Jays rally to end the season with an 86–76 record.
August 21, 2008 The Jays acquire José Bautista from the Pirates for the low cost of a player to be named later. After a bit of hitting advice from outfielder Vernon Wells, Bautista blasts 288 regular season home runs over 10 seasons, becoming the face of the franchise.
November 19, 2012 General manager Alex Anthopoulos goes on a trading bender with the Miami Marlins. He acquires pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson—shoring up a rotation devastated by injuries—shortstop Jose Reyes and several others.
June 24, 2015 Third baseman Josh Donaldson launches himself into the second row of the stands to catch a foul ball from the Tampa Bay Rays. He makes the save—and future highlight reels—and helps pitcher Marco Estrada carry a perfect game into the eighth inning.
October 14, 2015 Playing the Texas Rangers in game five of the ALDS, José Bautista hits a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning. He famously flips his bat, launching a thousand memes and sending the team to the Championship Series for the first time since 1993.
October 4, 2016 In an American League Wild Card game against the Baltimore Orioles, Edwin Encarnación hits a three-run walk-off in the 11th inning. The crowd goes wild, and the Jays go to the ALDS.
July 8, 2019 A star is born: at the MLB Home Run Derby, 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sets a record with 91 total home runs.
August 11, 2020 The Canadian government blocks the team from playing at the Rogers Centre, citing cross-border travel concerns. The Jays move to Sahlen Field in Buffalo, home of the team’s Triple-A affiliate, for their Covid-era home games.
September 24, 2020 After a four-season dry spell, Toronto makes the playoffs and marks their first winning season since 2016. The flush of victory is short-lived, however: the Jays lose to the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Series.
July 29, 2021 While playing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the Jays debut “the Home Run Jacket,” a navy blazer that players get to don whenever they crank a dinger.
October 20, 2025
George Springer’s seventh-inning three-run homer against the Seattle Mariners in game seven catapults the Jays to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
November 1, 2025 The Jays go on an epic playoff run, culminating in what many commentators call one of the best World Series in history (even if the Dodgers won).
