111-685: The Queens Kings were the Toronto Blue Jays ' Short-Season A classification team in the New York–Penn League in the 2000 season. The team was formerly the St. Catharines Stompers and was sold by the Blue Jays and relocated to Queens , New York City , New York and played at The Ballpark at St. Johns . The following season (2001), the team moved to the New York City borough of Brooklyn and became
222-598: A Kentucky Bluegrass playing surface and have dimensions that were designed to mirror those of pitcher-friendly Royals Stadium . Buffalo Bisons management insisted the field have deep fences after War Memorial Stadium acquired a poor reputation for allowing easy home runs . Roger Bossard , head groundskeeper of Comiskey Park , served as consultant for the project. The venue broke ground in July 1986, with structural engineering handled by Geiger Associates, and Cowper Construction Management serving as general contractor . It
333-514: A "pitch blue" (dark blue) uniform that features an illustration of the Toronto skyline in royal blue, centred by the "Toronto" wordmark in red. The "pitch blue" colour is a reference to Lake Ontario 's reflection at night. The traditional Blue Jays logo patch on the sleeve is recoloured to match the uniform. The cap is also "pitch blue" and features a red maple leaf at the centre of a stylized red and blue "T" in split letters. The Montreal Expos were
444-618: A $ 50 million domed stadium that was designed by the architects of the Astrodome and had a capacity of 45,000. Buffalo was one of five finalists for the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion , but franchises were awarded to the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres in May 1968. Erie County went on to modify the planned domed stadium to accommodate the Buffalo Bills , approving its construction as
555-602: A 60,000-seat football venue in Lancaster that could also host baseball. However, bids for the stadium in 1970 came in over budget , and the project stalled. Bills owner Ralph Wilson threatened to move the Bills if action was not taken to replace the aging War Memorial Stadium, forcing Erie County to abandon the domed stadium in favor of building open-air Rich Stadium in Orchard Park . Major League Baseball had planned on relocating
666-600: A competitive on-field product. 27,000 major league season ticket commitments were made by April 1991, consisting of 18,000 paid seat deposits and 9,000 complimentary deposits awarded to the existing Bisons season ticket holders. Buffalo was one of six finalists for the 1993 Major League Baseball expansion , but franchises were awarded to the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins in June 1991. National League president Bill White later confirmed that Rich Jr. publicly questioning
777-568: A cost of $ 15 million. Opening Day of the venue's inaugural season took place on April 14, 1988, and saw the Buffalo Bisons defeat the Denver Zephyrs 1–0. Bob Patterson of the Bisons threw the first pitch against Billy Bates , and the lone score came from a Tom Prince home run . Pam Postema , the first female umpire in the history of professional baseball, officiated the game. Prior to
888-419: A cost of $ 30 million, but unlike the earlier design would take longer than a single offseason to complete. Prior to the 1990 season, 1,400 bleacher seats and a standing-room only area within the third-base mezzanine were added at a cost of $ 1.34 million, increasing the stadium's capacity from 19,500 to 21,050. In September 1990, Bob Rich Jr. attempted to buy the Montreal Expos for $ 100 million and move
999-837: A giant Canadian flag is carried by members of the Canadian Armed Forces while "O Canada" is sung in English and French by a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force Band . The game was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the game was held in Buffalo, New York due to Canada–U.S. travel restrictions. The Blue Jays operate a store called the Jays Shop that sells primarily Blue Jays merchandise. This store has two locations at Rogers Centre, though, until January 2023, there
1110-559: A giant Canadian flag was carried by members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Sportsnet only airs the national anthems during the home opener, Canada Day, and playoff games. On June 29, 2019, "O Canada" was sung in Cree and English. On September 30, 2021, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation , "O Canada" was sung in English, French, and Anishinaabemowin . On the following National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, September 30, 2022, "O Canada"
1221-623: A major league franchise, Robert E. Rich Jr. began establishing minor league farm teams for the Buffalo Bisons organization. Rich Jr. acquired the Double-A Wichita Pilots and founded the Class A Short Season Niagara Falls Rapids . He renamed Wichita's team to the Wranglers and planned to upgrade their franchise to Triple-A upon the Bisons joining Major League Baseball . The proposed seating expansion to accommodate Major League Baseball
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#17328517222971332-588: A member club of the American League (AL) East Division . Since 1989, the team has played its home games primarily at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto. The name "Blue Jays" originates from the bird of the same name , and blue is also the traditional colour of Toronto's collegiate and professional sports teams including the Maple Leafs ( ice hockey ) and the Argonauts ( Canadian football ). In 1976, out of
1443-535: A member of the Canadian Armed Forces . During the third inning, the team presents the honoured member with a personalized jersey. Since 2005, " The Star-Spangled Banner " has been sung before " O Canada " at every home game. In some home games (including Canada Day home games and playoffs), "O Canada" is sung in English and French. When "O Canada" was sung during the Home Opener, Canada Day, and playoff games,
1554-611: A place in the Blue Jays' "Level of Excellence" in the upper level of the Rogers Centre; the number 4,306 is depicted beside his name. In 2008, Cheek received the third most votes from fans to be nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. Cheek finally received the Frick Award posthumously in 2013 after nine years on the ballot. Radio broadcasts of Blue Jays games originate from Sportsnet 590 CJCL in Toronto, which, like
1665-506: A three-year deal signed in 2023. Jacques Doucet , former Montreal Expos radio announcer, broadcast the Blue Jays on TVA Sports from 2011 until his retirement in 2022. The Sports Network (TSN), which (like the Jays) was owned by Labatt from 1984 to 1995, served as the primary cable television outlet for the Blue Jays prior to the launch of Sportsnet. TSN (and later, its sister channel TSN2 ) continued to carry approximately ten Jays games through
1776-530: Is about a four-hour drive from Toronto. According to The Detroit News , a July 2017 three-game series at Comerica Park against the Blue Jays drew a season-best-to-date total attendance of 115,088. Although the Seattle Mariners are not a divisional rival, many Blue Jays fans from Western Canada travel to Seattle when the Blue Jays play there as Seattle is geographically closer to Western Canada than Toronto is. Depending on traffic and border delays, Seattle
1887-457: Is about a three-hour drive from Vancouver . The Seattle Times estimated that Blue Jays fans represented around 70 percent of the crowd in Safeco Field for a June 2017 weekend series. The Blue Jays' former radio play-by-play announcer, Tom Cheek , called every Toronto Blue Jays game from the team's inaugural contest on April 7, 1977, until June 3, 2004, when he took two games off following
1998-451: Is actually quite small. Only 18 radio stations across the country aired at least some Blue Jays games during the 2021 season, which is fewer affiliates than most MLB teams, which have more stations covering smaller geographic areas. All Blue Jays games are carried nationally on Sportsnet (which, like the Blue Jays, is owned by Rogers Communications). As of 2023, Dan Shulman serves as the lead play-by-play announcer, with Buck Martinez as
2109-457: Is played four times followed by Charge being played thrice. From 1979 to 1999, BJ Birdy served as the Blue Jays' sole mascot, played by Kevin Shanahan. In 2000, he was replaced by a duo named Ace and Diamond. After the 2003 season, Diamond was removed by the team, leaving Ace as the team's sole mascot. Since the 2010s, Ace has been accompanied by his younger brother, Junior. This usually happens on
2220-533: The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike . The Blue Jays instead chose to play at their spring training home of Dunedin Stadium , but the strike ended in April 1995 and the team returned to SkyDome. A new outfield fence was erected prior to the 1996 season at a cost of $ 50,000 so that the venue's playing surface mirrored the dimensions of Jacobs Field . Left-center field was reduced from 384 feet to 371 feet, center field
2331-446: The 2015 American League Division Series involving the Blue Jays were among the highest-rated telecasts in network history, with Game 4 drawing an audience of 4.38 million viewers. In September 2012, AMI-tv simulcast three Blue Jays games with described video provided by CJCL correspondent Sam Cosentino , which included explanations of on-screen graphics. Paul Beeston praised AMI's involvement, stating that "to our knowledge, we are
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#17328517222972442-643: The Atlanta Braves are the only two MLB teams under corporate ownership; the Blue Jays are the only American League team to be under such ownership. Due to border restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic , the Blue Jays played home games at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida for April and May of the 2021 season , and Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York for the 2020 season as well as June and July 2021, returning home to Toronto as of July 30 of that year. In
2553-640: The Brooklyn Cyclones , an affiliate of the New York Mets . Of note, Alex Ríos , who earned a spot on the 2006 and 2007 American League All Star Roster, played his first season in professional baseball with the Queens Kings. Other former Queens Kings to reach the majors include Cleveland Indians catcher Guillermo Quiróz and former pitcher Brandon Lyon . Mike Smith also played for the Kings. Rich Thompson led
2664-572: The Buffalo Blues played for the Federal League in 1915. However, Bisons owner Robert E. Rich Jr. was unsuccessful in his efforts to bring an MLB franchise to the stadium between 1988 and 1995. The stadium was a temporary home to the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB in 2020 and 2021 when they were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic . Sahlen Field was previously home to the Buffalo Nighthawks of
2775-573: The International League starting in 1912. This club played at Olympic Park until 1923, at which point that venue was demolished and replaced by Offermann Stadium . Buffalo was awarded an expansion franchise by the Continental League of Major League Baseball in January 1960, and made plans to play at War Memorial Stadium beginning with the 1961 season. However, the league folded before
2886-505: The International League , it opened on April 14, 1988, and can seat up to 16,600 people, making it the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. It replaced the Bisons' former home, War Memorial Stadium , where the team played from 1979 to 1987. The stadium was the first retro-classic ballpark built in the world, and was designed with plans for Major League Baseball (MLB) expansion. Buffalo had not had an MLB team since
2997-916: The Ladies Professional Baseball League in 1998, the Buffalo Bulls of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2000, and the Empire State Yankees of the International League in 2012. In addition to concerts and professional wrestling, the stadium has hosted major events including the National Old-Timers Baseball Classic (1988–1990), Triple-A All-Star Game (1988, 2012), StarGaze (1992–1993), World University Games ( 1993 ) and National Buffalo Wing Festival (2002–2019). Buffalo began hosting professional baseball in 1877, when
3108-401: The National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2000. The Bulls finished the season with a 12–35 record and moved to Amherst Audubon Field the following year. Major League Lacrosse staged an exhibition at the venue on August 11, 2000, as part of their Summer Showcase Tour. Robert E. Rich Jr. planned to purchase a Major League Lacrosse franchise at a cost of $ 1 million to begin play at
3219-696: The National League 's Miami Marlins . After 1993, the Blue Jays failed to qualify for the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons until clinching a playoff berth and division championship in 2015 . The team clinched a second consecutive playoff berth in 2016 , after securing an AL wild card position. In both years, the Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series , but lost the AL Championship Series . Most recently, they qualified for
3330-421: The colour commentator during the 2013 season, after which he was replaced by former Montreal Expos catcher Joe Siddall since the 2014 season. Former Blue Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst filled in for Morris for some games during the 2013 season. Another former catcher for the Blue Jays, Gregg Zaun , has served as the occasional colour commentator from the 2011 season until the end of the 2017 season when he
3441-409: The mezzanine level, rusticated joints, and inset marble panels. Located close to Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and along the newly built Buffalo Metro Rail , the venue would be an attractive and accessible destination for suburban residents. The same design firm would later bring this concept to Major League Baseball with Oriole Park at Camden Yards . The baseball field itself would feature
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3552-429: The pandemic ", all radio broadcasts for the 2021 season will be a simulcast of the television broadcast. Wagner will assume an alternative role. However, once the Blue Jays returned to Rogers Centre in late July 2021, dedicated radio broadcasts resumed. The Blue Jays have the largest geographical home market in all of baseball, encompassing all of Canada. Despite this, the number of radio stations that broadcast games
3663-624: The 1880s and been home to the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League , from 1896 to 1967. In January 1976, the San Francisco Giants nearly relocated to Toronto after owner Horace Stoneham agreed to sell the team to a Canadian consortium. The group, which included Labatt Breweries of Canada , The Globe and Mail 's Howard Webster, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), planned to rebrand
3774-718: The 1984 and 1985 seasons (the Vancouver Canadians were the AAA farm team of the Brewers at the time ), as well as single games against the Detroit Tigers and Brewers in 1993 and against the Montreal Expos and Seattle Mariners in 1994 in a series billed as the "Baseball Classic". The Jays also played the Cleveland Indians in an exhibition game at War Memorial Stadium in nearby Buffalo, New York in 1987. More recently,
3885-510: The 2009 season until May 2010; most recently, Rod Black handled play-by-play while Tabler served as colour commentator on these telecasts. CBC has carried Blue Jays games intermittently throughout the team's history, most recently in 2007 and 2008; those broadcasts featured Jim Hughson as the play-by-play announcer, and former Blue Jays Rance Mulliniks and Jesse Barfield on colour commentary. Games also aired on CTV (except in Montreal) from
3996-496: The 2011 season, the park's original scoreboard in center field was removed and replaced by an 80-foot wide by 33-foot tall Daktronics high-definition LED video screen at a cost $ 2.5 million. That same year, a new $ 970,000 field drainage system and a new $ 750,000 field lighting system were added to the venue. The venue was one of six that played home to the Empire State Yankees of the International League in 2012. The team
4107-407: The 2020 season, the Blue Jays unveiled a modernized version of the powder blue uniforms, featuring navy/white/navy serifed split letters and numerals. These uniforms are paired with a powder-brimmed navy cap and an all-navy helmet. Since 1996, the Blue Jays wore predominantly red or red-accented uniforms every July 1, Canada Day . The uniforms were based on the team's alternate uniforms they wore at
4218-427: The Blue Jays became the first MLB team to attract over four million fans , with an attendance of 4,001,526, followed by 4,028,318 in 1992. Each of those records were broken in 1993 by the expansion Colorado Rockies , although the Blue Jays' 1993 attendance of 4,057,947 stood as an AL record for 12 years until it was broken by the 2005 New York Yankees . Several Blue Jays became very popular in Toronto and throughout
4329-574: The Blue Jays in 2015, Josh Donaldson set a new major league record by receiving 14,090,188 All-Star votes. The team is popular throughout Canada, as the only MLB team based in the country following the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington. The team has played a number of exhibition games at BC Place in Vancouver including three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers prior to both
4440-411: The Blue Jays logo on a white panel in front. In 2008, the Blue Jays' powder blue road uniform from this era was restored as an alternate home uniform worn every Friday until 2010. The Blue Jays adopted buttoned uniforms upon moving to Rogers Centre (then SkyDome) in 1989. Aside from the additions of buttons and belts, the only change affecting the home uniforms was the relocation of the team logo to
4551-547: The Blue Jays traded away Yimi Garcia, Nate Pearson, Danny Jansen, Justin Turner, Yusei Kikuchi, Trevor Richards, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Kevin Kiermaier. In 1977, after just 50 home games, the Blue Jays set an MLB record for a first-year expansion team, with an overall attendance of 1,219,551 during those games. By the end of the season, 1,701,152 fans had attended. After setting an attendance record in 1990, with 3,885,284 fans, in 1991,
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4662-411: The Blue Jays unveiled an alternate sleeveless white uniform, featuring the same lettering style as the regular home uniform. However, the chest numerals were replaced with the primary logo. Blue undershirts were worn with this uniform. Before the 2001 season, slight modifications were made to the uniforms, eliminating the tricolour stripes and adding a single colour piping along the chest and neck. While
4773-522: The Blue Jays winning multiple division titles and back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993, making them the first team outside the US to achieve this feat. Key players during this golden era included Roberto Alomar , Joe Carter , and Dave Stieb . After the mid-1990s strike and subsequent downturn, the Blue Jays faced challenges but also saw the rise of talents like Roy Halladay and Carlos Delgado . The late 1990s brought brief revitalization with
4884-457: The Blue Jays' geographic National League rival, being the other Canadian MLB team before it was relocated. From 1978 to 1986, the teams played an annual mid-season exhibition game known as the Pearson Cup , named after former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson . The teams began facing each other in the regular season in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . During the 2003 and 2004 seasons,
4995-404: The Blue Jays, is owned by Rogers Communications. After Cheek's retirement in 2005, Jerry Howarth , who had been Cheek's broadcasting partner since 1982, took over as lead play-by-play announcer, with Mike Wilner as the secondary play-by-play announcer. During the 2007 to 2012 seasons, former Blue Jays catcher Alan Ashby was the colour commentator. Former Blue Jays pitcher Jack Morris served as
5106-538: The Buffalo Bisons and City of Buffalo for use of the venue expired following the 2008 season, and the city began offering year-to-year leases to the team thereafter. The venue's luxury suites were consolidated and renovated beginning in 2010, reducing the total number from 38 to 26. A conference suite was constructed on the first-base side of the stadium at a cost of $ 250,000, and the year-round suite can accommodate business gatherings of up to 40 people. Prior to
5217-489: The Buffalo Bisons of the League Alliance began play at Riverside Park . Over the next century, the city hosted major and minor league teams including the Buffalo Bisons ( IA , 1878, 1887–1888), Buffalo Bisons ( NL , 1879–1885), Buffalo Bisons ( PL , 1890), and the Buffalo Blues ( FL , 1914–1915). The longest-tenured franchise was the minor league Buffalo Bisons , which was founded in 1886 and played exclusively in
5328-517: The City Campus of Erie Community College was part of the proposed complex, and was eventually built several years later as the Burt Flickinger Center . St. John's Episcopal Church originally occupied what would become the venue's land at the corner of Washington Street and Swan Street, and Randall's Boarding House originally occupied the adjacent lot on Swan Street. Mark Twain famously
5439-710: The Expos' last two seasons before relocating to Washington, D.C., as the Nationals , the Pearson Cup was awarded after a pair of three-game sets. The Detroit Tigers are the Blue Jays' geographic and traditional rival, dating back to the 1980s, when the teams were AL East contenders. The Tigers moved to the AL Central in 1998, and the rivalry has died down as a result, with the teams facing each other only six to seven times per year since 2011. Depending on traffic and border delays, Detroit
5550-447: The Jr. Jay Saturday promotions until the end of the 2017 season . The promotions were moved to select Sundays since the 2018 season since the Blue Jays can no longer hold early Saturday afternoon games to accommodate American national broadcasts on Fox , though Fox did occasionally broadcast Blue Jays games at the Rogers Centre. Since 2012, every Sunday home game, the Blue Jays pay tribute to
5661-524: The Pilots. The new Toronto franchise, purchased for $ 7 million, was named the Toronto Blue Jays following a contest that attracted over 4,000 suggestions. The name reflected Toronto's tradition of using blue in team colors and was influenced by majority owner Labatt Breweries' flagship beer, Labatt Blue. The franchise's first employee, Paul Beeston , began as vice president of business operations, and before
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#17328517222975772-450: The acquisition of Roger Clemens . In the early 2000s, general manager J.P. Ricciardi led a rebuilding phase, culminating in a competitive roster by the mid-2000s. The team's resurgence in the 2010s featured playoff appearances in 2015 and 2016, driven by stars like José Bautista and Josh Donaldson . The Blue Jays continue to build for future success, with young talents like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , Bo Bichette , and Cavan Biggio leading
5883-407: The aging War Memorial Stadium with what was originally known as Downtown Buffalo Sports Complex . The City of Buffalo originally hired HOK Sport to design a $ 90 million domed stadium with a capacity of 40,000 on 13 acres of land, but the project was scaled back after New York State only approved $ 22.5 million in funding instead of the $ 40 million requested. A separate athletic facility to service
5994-416: The alternate blue uniforms, split letters and numerals became red/blue/red. Red also appeared on the pant and sleeve stripes, while the new logo occupied the left sleeve. Player names also took on the new block split-letter style. An updated all-blue cap was paired with the home and road uniforms, while a red-brimmed blue cap (with a modified logo without a baseball) was used with the blue alternates. In 1999
6105-505: The alternate white uniforms brought back chest numerals. The "T-bird" logo depicts a blue jay flexing its biceps and is nicknamed "Muscle Jay." Before the 2004 season, the Blue Jays adopted a new visual identity, going with a black, silver and graphite motif. The home and black alternates simply read "Jays" in front and in a 3D-oriented diagonal arrangement, with the bird connected to the letter "J." Letters and numerals were in graphite with light blue and silver trim. The road uniforms featured
6216-411: The charge. During the off-season, the Blue Jays re-signed Kiermaier and signed utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa , designated hitter Justin Turner , and pitcher Yariel Rodríguez . The Blue Jays also traded Santiago Espinal for a pitching prospect. During the regular season, the Blue Jays designated Cavan Biggio for assignment and traded him for a prospect afterwards. Before the 2024 trade deadline,
6327-418: The city name in a similar letter style as the logo, with graphite letters and numerals trimmed in light blue and silver. In 2008, however, amid complaints of illegibility, the Blue Jays tweaked their road uniforms to include 3D-style block letters and numerals in light blue trimmed in black and white, along with chest numerals. The "J-bird" alternate was added to the left sleeve. A red maple leaf would be added on
6438-434: The city name was rendered in bold blue letters before gaining a white outline the following season. By 1979, it was replaced by the team name in a split-lettered white/blue/white style. Player numerals also used the split-letter style, except on the road uniform during its first two seasons. Player names in blue were added to both uniforms for the 1980 season but were dropped from the road uniform in 1981. The caps were blue with
6549-585: The club has hosted a pair of exhibition games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal prior to the start of the season against the New York Mets (2014), Cincinnati Reds (2015), Boston Red Sox (2016), Pittsburgh Pirates (2017), St. Louis Cardinals (2018), Milwaukee Brewers (2019). A series against the New York Yankees was scheduled for 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The club also has discussed playing more games at BC Place with
6660-457: The construction of parking garages to service the venue and other downtown businesses. A planned second phase of construction was a seating expansion contingent on Buffalo acquiring a Major League Baseball franchise. The original design by HOK Sport called for a third deck to be added in place of the roof, expanding the venue's capacity from 19,500 to 40,000. In May 1987, it was estimated this expansion could be completed within one offseason at
6771-402: The death of his father—a streak of 4,306 consecutive regular-season games and 41 postseason games. Cheek later died on October 9, 2005, and the team commemorated him during their 2006 season by wearing a circular patch on the left sleeve of their home and road game jerseys. The patch was adorned with the letters 'TC', Cheek's initials, as well as a stylized microphone . Cheek is also honoured with
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#17328517222976882-567: The event, The Oak Ridge Boys performed " The Star-Spangled Banner " and both Mayor James D. Griffin and Governor Mario Cuomo threw ceremonial first pitches . The formal dedication of the venue took place on May 21, 1988, prior to the Buffalo Bisons defeating the Syracuse Chiefs in an interleague Triple-A Alliance game by a score of 6–5. Larry King threw the ceremonial first pitch and sat in on commentary with WBEN broadcasters Pete Weber and John Murphy . In their first year at
6993-480: The first sports organization to have our games provided through this revolutionary approach to accommodating the needs of the blind and low-vision community." On June 27, 2013, Rogers' over-the-air Toronto multicultural Omni Television station CJMT-DT simulcast a Blue Jays game, scheduled to be started by Taiwanese player Chien-Ming Wang , with commentary in Mandarin , marking the first ever Canadian MLB broadcast in
7104-663: The following month after the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike commenced. Buffalo was withdrawn as a candidate for the 1998 Major League Baseball expansion , and franchises were awarded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in March 1995. Rich Jr. was offered an expansion franchise by the United Baseball League of Major League Baseball in November 1994 at a cost of $ 5 million, which would have played at
7215-404: The home uniforms remained mostly intact, the road uniforms gained blue sleeves in a faux-vest design. On the alternate white uniform (now a faux vest instead of a straight sleeveless design), the new "T-bird" logo replaced the primary "jay leaf" logo, which moved to the left sleeve. In 2003, the "T-bird" logo became the primary, taking over the previous logo's placement on the caps and sleeves, while
7326-669: The inaugural 1977 season, Peter Bavasi and Pat Gillick were appointed as president and assistant general manager, respectively. The Blue Jays debuted on April 7, 1977, with a win against the Chicago White Sox amid a snowstorm, marking the beginning of a journey from early struggles to eventual success. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays showed gradual improvement, highlighted by their first winning season in 1983. The team's fortunes rose significantly under manager Bobby Cox in 1985 when they won their first American League East title. The late 1980s and early 1990s, under manager Cito Gaston , were particularly successful, with
7437-522: The investment group was prepared to fund $ 134 million in private capital required for expansion, which included the $ 95 million franchise fee and initial operating costs. The largest share of the financial burden would fall on Rich Jr., who pledged a minimum of $ 10 million cash and the equity in his three minor league teams. Rich Jr. publicly voiced concerns in December 1990 that without a salary cap and revenue sharing , he would have to raise ticket prices to unaffordable levels while being unable to produce
7548-497: The language. In June 2018, Omni announced that it would air Sunday afternoon games in Tagalog , the most spoken language of the Philippines , through the remainder of the season. Sportsnet and Omni announced a regular season of Sunday broadcasts in Tagalog for the 2019 season. TVA Sports has aired games in French since 2011, with Denis Casavant and François Paquet on play-by-play and Rodger Brulotte on colour. The channel currently has rights to 81 Blue Jay games per season in
7659-422: The late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team, frequently finishing last in their division. In 1983, they had their first winning season and two years later, became division champions . From 1985 to 1993, the Blue Jays were an AL East powerhouse, winning five division championships in nine seasons, including three consecutive from 1991 to 1993 . During that run,
7770-413: The league shut down mid-season in July 1998. The Nighthawks were in first place with an 11–5 record when the league folded, and were declared Eastern Division champions. The park's original four-color dot matrix scoreboard in center field was retrofitted with a 38-foot wide by 19-foot tall Daktronics LED video screen in 1999 at a cost of $ 1.2 million. The venue was home to the Buffalo Bulls of
7881-429: The league's financial structure sunk his bid. In their fourth year at the stadium, the Buffalo Bisons once again broke the all-time record for Minor League Baseball attendance by drawing 1,240,951 fans during the 1991 season. Rich Jr. offered to let the Montreal Expos finish their home schedule at the venue in September 1991 after Olympic Stadium was damaged, but the team instead played their final 13 home games on
7992-424: The left chest. The road uniforms changed from powder blue to grey, while the city name and numerals in blue/white/blue split letters were emblazoned, and the logo moved to the left chest. Player names were also added to the road uniform. All-blue caps were worn with their road uniform while keeping the white-panelled blue caps at home. By 1993, the all-blue caps were worn universally, supplanting and eventually retiring
8103-405: The major leagues, starting with Dave Stieb , whose seven All-Star selections is a franchise record. He is closely followed by Roy Halladay and José Bautista , who were selected six times each, and by Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter , who were selected five times each. Bautista set a major league record in 2011 (which only stood for a year), with 7,454,753 All-Star votes. In his first season with
8214-530: The original cap design. In 1994 the Blue Jays began wearing blue alternate uniforms with the team name and numerals in white/blue/white split letters. The Blue Jays updated their logo prior to the 1997 season with a new bird design and an enlarged red maple leaf at the back. The usage of red was greatly increased on the team's new uniforms. On the home uniforms, the letters and numerals were changed to blue/teal/blue split letters, while road uniform letters and numerals were changed to blue/red/blue split letters. On
8325-408: The original logo used from 1977 to 1996. The bird's head was also made sleeker than its 1977–1996 predecessor. The uniforms are similar to the ones used from 1989 to 1996, the team's most successful era. New serifed split letters were also released. In 2015, the Blue Jays began wearing a modernized version of the white-panelled blue caps they originally wore from 1977 to 1993 as an alternate. Before
8436-557: The outfield wall. Rich Jr. moved his Class A Short Season Niagara Falls Rapids after he was unable to secure repairs for the aging Sal Maglie Stadium . The team resumed play as the Jamestown Jammers in June 1994. In July 1994, Rich Jr. notified the Major League Baseball Expansion Committee that he was interested in pursuing a Buffalo expansion franchise. However, he would retract this notification
8547-472: The over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name "Blue Jays." In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company , makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the " Jays ," the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, red, and white. An expansion franchise , the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium ,
8658-412: The playoffs as a wild card team in 2020 , 2022 , and 2023 . From 1977 to 2024, the Blue Jays' overall win-loss record is 3,761–3,788–3 (.498). The Toronto Blue Jays came into existence in 1976, as one of two teams slated to join the American League for the following season, via the 1977 Major League Baseball expansion . Toronto had been mentioned as a potential major league city as early as
8769-541: The president of the Vancouver Canadians. During the seventh-inning stretch of home games, before singing " Take Me Out to the Ball Game ," Blue Jay fans sing and clap to the pop song " OK Blue Jays " by Keith Hampshire and The Bat Boys, which was released in 1983. The song was remixed in 2003, and since then, the new, shortened version has been played at home games. At home games, the "Let's Go Blue Jays" chant
8880-585: The primary colour commentator; on select series, Toronto Raptors play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin calls the game in place of Shulman, and Joe Siddall works colour commentary in place of Martinez. Prior to that, Martinez had been the primary play-by-play announcer alongside colour commentator Pat Tabler , with Shulman only calling games sporadically since 2016. In previous years, the colour analyst role rotated between Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks , Darrin Fletcher , and from 2011 to 2017, Gregg Zaun . Sportsnet became
8991-421: The right sleeve starting in 2009. The Blue Jays wore all-black caps with the "J-bird" logo for much of the uniforms' existence, save for the 2004 and 2005 seasons when they wore all-graphite caps at home, and in 2007 when an alternate all-black cap with the "T" from the previous road uniform was used. Prior to the 2012 season, the Blue Jays unveiled new uniforms and a new logo. The logo is a modernized version of
9102-645: The road. In June 1992, Rich Jr. attempted to buy the San Francisco Giants and move the team to Buffalo, but owner Bob Lurie declined his offer. The proposed name for the team would have been the New York Giants of Buffalo, as the franchise had previously played as the New York Giants from 1885 to 1957 in New York City. That same month, the City of Buffalo chose to exercise an escape clause and buy back $ 24.2 million in federal bonds they had earmarked for expanding
9213-490: The season began. The Buffalo Bisons remained in the International League and began play at War Memorial Stadium in 1961, as Offermann Stadium had already been slated for demolition. In April 1968, Robert O. Swados and his investment group, which included George Steinbrenner , presented their bid for a Buffalo expansion franchise to the National League Expansion Committee. This bid included plans for
9324-571: The struggling Washington Senators franchise to Buffalo, but when the domed stadium wasn't built it instead became the Texas Rangers . The Buffalo Bisons moved mid-season in 1970 and became the Winnipeg Whips , leaving Buffalo without professional baseball. Mayor James D. Griffin and an investment group purchased the Jersey City A's of the Double-A class Eastern League for $ 55,000 in 1978, and
9435-539: The team also became back-to-back World Series champions in 1992 and 1993 , led by a core group of award -winning All-Star players, including Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar , Joe Carter , John Olerud , and Devon White . The Blue Jays became the first (and, to date, only) team outside the U.S. to appear in and win a World Series and the fastest AL expansion team to do so, winning in its 16th year. As of 2019 , they are one of only two MLB franchises that are undefeated through multiple World Series appearances, along with
9546-564: The team as the Toronto Giants and play at Exhibition Stadium . However, a court ruling halted the move, and the Giants remained in San Francisco. Despite this setback, Toronto's ambition for an MLB team persisted, leading to their successful bid in the 1976 American League expansion, driven by a need to balance the league after Seattle was granted a team as a result of a lawsuit over their loss of
9657-689: The team began play as the Buffalo Bisons at War Memorial Stadium in 1979. This new franchise assumed the history of prior Buffalo Bisons teams that had played in the city from 1877 to 1970. Rich Products heir Robert E. Rich Jr. purchased the Bisons for $ 100,000 in 1983, and upgraded the team to the Triple-A class American Association in 1985 after buying out the Wichita Aeros for $ 1 million. The Bisons began drawing record crowds with promotional tie-ins, most notably annual post-game concerts by The Beach Boys . Strong political support grew to replace
9768-532: The team began playing its home games at SkyDome upon its opening in 1989. They are the second MLB franchise to be based outside the United States, and currently the only team based outside the U.S. after the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos , became the Washington Nationals in 2005. Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications and in 2004, SkyDome was purchased by that company, which renamed it Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays and
9879-596: The team in hits and stolen bases . This article related to sports in New York City is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a baseball team in New York is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto . The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
9990-481: The team to Buffalo, but owner Charles Bronfman declined his offer. That same month, Rich Jr. and his investment group presented their bid for a Buffalo expansion franchise to the National League Expansion Committee. Members of this investment group included Jeremy Jacobs , Larry King , Northrup R. Knox , Robert G. Wilmers , Robert O. Swados and Seymour H. Knox III . It was reported that
10101-452: The team's inception until the late 1990s. The Blue Jays have not appeared over-the-air in Canada in English since 2008. Sahlen Field Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York , United States. Originally known as Pilot Field , the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark , North AmeriCare Park , Dunn Tire Park , and Coca-Cola Field . Home to the Buffalo Bisons of
10212-472: The team's primary carrier soon after it launched in the late 1990s and became the team's exclusive broadcaster in 2010. As of August 2010, Sportsnet One also broadcasts Blue Jays games (often in case of scheduling conflicts with the main Sportsnet channels). Rogers was, however, criticized by fans and critics due to Sportsnet One only being carried by Rogers Cable systems on launch. Sportsnet's broadcasts of
10323-399: The time but with red as the primary colour. On a few occasions, the Blue Jays added red trim to an existing white uniform (or, in the case of the 2006 uniforms, their black alternates) and sometimes added the flag of Canada or a red maple leaf on the uniform. In 2024, the Blue Jays unveiled a City Connect uniform inspired by Toronto's nightlife. The jersey is nicknamed "Night Mode" and is
10434-530: The venue after moving from War Memorial Stadium, the Buffalo Bisons broke the all-time record for Minor League Baseball attendance by drawing 1,186,651 fans during the 1988 season. The team had capped season ticket sales at 9,000 seats to ensure that individual game tickets would be available. The inaugural Build New York Award was given to Cowper Construction Management by the General Building Contractors of New York State for their work on
10545-578: The venue beginning with the 1996 season. However, franchises were awarded in February 1995 to Long Island , Los Angeles, New Orleans , San Juan , Vancouver and Washington before the league folded without ever playing a game. The Buffalo Bisons considered sharing the venue with the Toronto Blue Jays for their 1995 season , as the Ontario Labour Relations Board prohibited non-union replacement players from competing at SkyDome during
10656-438: The venue in June 2001. However, he withdrew support after determining that removing and replacing the pitcher's mound for lacrosse games would damage the field and put the Buffalo Bisons at a disadvantage. The 20-year lease between the Buffalo Bisons and City of Buffalo for use of the venue was renegotiated in January 2003, with the addition of funding from Erie County. Prior to the 2004 season, $ 5 million in renovations to
10767-594: The venue in his June 1989 article for the Vancouver Sun , contrasting it with the recently opened SkyDome in Toronto: It was a matter of philosophy. Toronto built an edifice: Buffalo embraced an idea. Toronto elevated technology over the game: Buffalo honored the past. Buffalo ended up with the better ballpark. It may be the best ballpark built since the construction of the game's holy triumvirate – Wrigley , Fenway and Briggs . In anticipation of Buffalo being awarded
10878-465: The venue to accommodate Major League Baseball. The 1988 to 1993 Buffalo Bisons seasons were the six highest-attended campaigns in Minor League Baseball history, with each season drawing over 1,000,000 fans. Prior to the 1994 season, a restaurant called Power Alley Pub was constructed under the bleachers in right-center field. The restaurant provided seating with views of the field through
10989-416: The venue were completed, including removal of the stadium's right field bleachers and construction of a four-tier Party Deck in its place. The removal of the bleachers decreased the stadium capacity from 21,050 to 18,025. A 4-foot wide by 8-foot tall digital billboard was installed on the corner of Washington Street and Swan Street before the 2007 season at a cost of $ 70,000. The 20-year lease between
11100-526: The venue's restaurant and concessions . The $ 42.4 million venue was mainly paid for with public funding. $ 22.5 million came from New York State, $ 12.9 million came from the City of Buffalo , $ 4.2 million came from Erie County, and $ 2.8 million came from the Buffalo Bisons. The New York State funding was contingent on the Bisons signing a 20-year lease with the City of Buffalo for use of the venue, which they did just prior to groundbreaking . The City of Buffalo and Erie County paid an additional $ 14 million for
11211-405: The venue. The venue was lauded by mainstream media outlets, including feature stories by Newsday , New York Daily News , San Francisco Examiner , Sports Illustrated , The New York Times Magazine and Vancouver Sun . Eric Brazil wrote in his San Francisco Examiner column that the venue, "just may be baseball's prototype for the 1990s and beyond". Pete McMartin wrote fondly of
11322-474: Was a resident of the boarding house while editor of the Buffalo Express . Constructed between 1846 and 1848, the church remained in use until 1893 and was demolished in 1906. The land then became the site of Ellsworth Statler 's first hotel, Hotel Statler , in 1907. It was later renamed Hotel Buffalo after Statler built a new hotel on Niagara Square in 1923 and sold his former location. Hotel Buffalo
11433-463: Was an additional location in the Toronto Eaton Centre shopping mall. The Blue Jays wore pullover uniforms during their first decade of existence. The front of the home white uniforms contained the team name in a unique blue/white/blue split-letter style, with the team logo centred below. The road uniforms were powder blue, with the city name in front and the team logo centred below. Initially,
11544-612: Was demolished in 1968, and the land became a parking lot . The City of Buffalo would later acquire the land through eminent domain . HOK Sport (now known as Populous ) designed the downtown venue as the first retro-classic ballpark in the world. The open-air venue was designed to incorporate architecture from the neighboring Joseph Ellicott Historic District , most notably the Ellicott Square Building and Old Post Office . The venue's exterior would be constructed from precast concrete , featuring arched window openings at
11655-488: Was forced to play at alternate sites that season as PNC Field was undergoing renovations. The Yankees finished the season with a 84–60 record and advanced to the International League playoffs. $ 500,000 was spent in improvements to the venue before the 2014 season, including a new sound system and the installation of new LED message boards down both baselines. A campaign to replace the park's original red seating with wider green seating began in 2014. The stadium's capacity
11766-484: Was originally built with a seating capacity of 19,500, which at the time made it the third-largest stadium in Minor League Baseball . This included a club level with seating for 3,500 and 38 luxury suites , general admission bleacher seating for 1,130 in right field , and a 250-seat restaurant with city and field views on the mezzanine level. Rich Products already owned and operated local restaurants under their B.R. Guest brand, and they assumed operation of
11877-408: Was reduced from 18,025 to 17,600 when 3,700 seats were replaced prior to the 2015 season at a cost of $ 758,000. 2,900 seats were replaced prior to the 2017 season, reducing capacity of the venue from 17,600 to 16,907. 2,000 seats were replaced prior to the 2019 season, reducing capacity of the venue from 16,907 to 16,600. Following the 2019 season, protective crowd netting was installed throughout
11988-441: Was reduced from 410 feet to 404 feet, right-center field was reduced from 384 feet to 367 feet, and the height of the center field fence was reduced from 15 feet to 8 feet. This change allowed the Cleveland Indians , Buffalo's major league affiliate, to better evaluate their prospects , while also making the park more hitter-friendly . The venue was home to the Buffalo Nighthawks of the Ladies Professional Baseball League before
12099-548: Was revised by HOK Sport to preserve the aesthetic of the roof, which would now be kept and raised to cover a third deck. In this new design, less seating would be built on the third deck, and instead a new right field seating structure would be built in front of the Exchange Street parking ramp . In addition, expanded bleachers would be added in right field that could later be converted to permanent seating. Capacity after this expansion would increase from 19,500 to 41,530 at
12210-455: Was sung in French, English, and Blackfoot . For Blue Jays road games, "O Canada" is sung before the "Star Spangled Banner" as all road games (since the Expos moved to Washington, DC) for the Blue Jays are in the United States. The Blue Jays traditionally host an afternoon home game during Canada Day . During the game, the team wears red jerseys instead of blue jerseys. During the pre-game ceremony,
12321-466: Was terminated amid accusations of improper conduct from several female employees. Following Howarth's retirement in the 2017 season, Ben Wagner was hired as the primary radio play-by-play announcer, splitting said duties with Dan Shulman and Mike Wilner. In November 2020, Mike Wilner was laid off by the team. In February 2021, it was announced that "in an effort to minimize travel and closely adhere to team, league, and government protocols related to
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