Meet the Blue Jays T he blue jay is a fearless animal that will drive others away from way from its territory Jays take on all invaders including birds many many times their size They are also smart and resourceful Baseball ll lovers say the same things about the Toronto Blue Jays In fact it might be the perfect name for the team The Blue Jays are the only Canadian club in the big leagues The entire country roots for them Almost all of the players on the team come from places outside Canada But they still play as if they were born there Many Jays make their homes in Canada during the season They proudly sing the country’s national anthem before each game This book tells the story of the Blue Jays They play with great reat pride and passion They do not back down no matter how strong their opponent is And they put winning players on the field every year Yunel Escobar does not let a sliding runner stop him from throwing to first The Jays are always on the lookout for tough and talented players like him 5
Glory Days B aseball has been played in Canada nearly as long as it has in the United States Yet it was not until the 1960s that Major League Baseball placed teams north of the U S border In 1977 the Blue Jays joined the American League AL They became the second Canadian club in the big leagues The Montreal Expos started play before them in the National League NL Ever since the Expos moved to Washington D C and became the Nationals in 2005 the Blue Jays have been Canada’s only team Like all new teams the Blue Jays had to start with unwanted players from other clubs They also found unknown young players and gave them their first chance Toronto’s top stars in those early days included Bob Bailor John Mayberry Ron Fairly Roy Howell Rick Cerone 6
LEFT George Bell RIGHT Jimmy Key and Alfredo Griffin Unfortunately the Blue Jays struggled to win the team finished last in the AL East five years in a row Toronto fans were patient with their Blue Jays The team spent a lot of time and money getting young players ready for the major leagues In the 1980s those players made Toronto one of the best teams in baseball Infielders Willie Upshaw Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez combined with outfielders George Bell Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield to provide powerful hitting Dave Stieb and Jimmy Key led a good pitching staff Toronto won the AL East in 1985 In 1989 the Blue Jays moved into a magnificent new ballpark called SkyDome Millions of fans came to visit the stadium The team used the money it made from ticket sales to improve its lineup In 1992 and 1993 the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series championships Those teams were a perfect blend of young stars 7
