Remember when the Toronto Blue Jays opened their season in Las Vegas?
What about the time they began a campaign in Puerto Rico?
Where were you in 1990, when then-U.S. president George Bush and Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney tossed out the ceremonial first pitch?
The point we’re trying to make is the Blue Jays are entering their 42nd season, which highlights the fact that the ball club boasts plenty of history.
Opening days are a prime time for pomp and ceremony. With the Blue Jays’ 2018 edition taking place Thursday against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre, we delved into some cool numbers from past Day 1s.
Here’s a closer look:
21-20
The Blue Jays’ all-time record on opening day. (10-6 at home; 11-14 on the road).
7
Roy Halladay’s seven opening day starts — from 2003 to 2009 — is a club record for pitchers. The right-hander, who died in November, will be honoured at Rogers Centre on Thursday, when his No. 32 will be retired by the Blue Jays.
1996
That’s when the Blue Jays opened their season at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, as the road club versus the Oakland Athletics. John Olerud, Alex Gonzalez and Domingo Cedeno cranked homers for Toronto in the 9-6 win. It was MLB’s first game in Vegas, which briefly provided a home to the A’s while renovations concluded at Oakland Coliseum.
2001
Esteban Loaiza struck out nine and Shannon Stewart homered to help the Blue Jays to an 8-1 win over the Texas Rangers at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The April 1, 2001 affair counted as a home game for the Blue Jays.
10
Thursday will mark the 10th opening day of John Gibbons’s career as Blue Jays manager (2005-2008, 2013-present). It will tie him with skipper Cito Gaston for most in franchise history.
13
The most runs the Blue Jays have scored in an opening-day contest. That happened twice: A 13-5 win over Oakland in 1995 and a 13-3 triumph over the Minnesota Twins in 2011.
The benefactors of such splendid run support? Starting pitchers David Cone (1995) and Ricky Romero (2011) collected W’s in their opening-day assignments.
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29
Thursday’s date, March 29, will be the earliest opening day in Blue Jays history. Previously, the club played two season openers on March 31 (2003 vs. NYY and 2014 vs. TB).
25
Because it has been 25 years since that special 1993 Blue Jays squad began their campaign, here’s a look back at its opening day batting order against left-hander Randy Johnson and the Seattle Mariners.
1. Devon White-CF
2. Roberto Alomar-2B
3. Paul Molitor-DH
4. Joe Carter-LF
5. Darrin Jackson-RF
6. Domingo Martinez-1B
7. Ed Sprague-3B
8. Pat Borders-C
9. Dick Schofield-SS
Right-hander Jack Morris took the mound for the Blue Jays and allowed seven runs over 4.1 innings. Meanwhile, future Hall of Famer Johnson, aptly dubbed the Big Unit, completely shut down Toronto hitters, allowing one run on seven hits over eight innings, striking out 14.
Despite the ugly start to the season, things eventually turned out OK for those Blue Jays.
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