Last week, we briefly discussed the development of professional baseball in Canada. The blog post ended with the relocation of Canada’s first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, the Montreal Expos.
This week, I want to look at the history and success of Canada’s only remaining MLB team, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Image taken from unsplash.com
The Toronto Blue Jays were founded in 1977, eight years after the MLB expanded to Montreal. Similar to the Expos, the Blue Jays struggled in the beginning while they developed their system. Although the Blue Jays finished either last or almost last in their first few seasons, their popularity was evident and Canada’s enthusiasm for baseball became clear. In their first 50 home games, the Blue Jays set an MLB record for a first-year team with an overall attendance of 1,219,551 fans. Fast forward to 1992. With the support of the country, the Blue Jays were able to develop and attract an abundance of talent. Not only did the Blue Jays win the World Series in 1992, but they won again in 1993 becoming back-to-back champions of the MLB.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Blue_Jays
While the Blue Jays have not won the World Series since 1993, they have put together many competitive teams in recent years and remain Canada’s only MLB team. The Blue Jays have also developed baseball across the country through the Jays Care Foundation. The foundation supports local organizations and provides baseball education and life skills workshops throughout Canada.