1987_Toronto_Blue_Jays_season
1987 Toronto Blue Jays season
Major League Baseball team season
The 1987 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 11th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing second in the American League East with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses. They had been in first place by 3½ games over the Detroit Tigers with a week left to play, but they dropped their next seven games in a row, capped off by a sweep at the hands of Detroit at Tiger Stadium on the last weekend of the season, and lost the division by two games.
Quick Facts Toronto Blue Jays, League ...
| 1987 Toronto Blue Jays | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | Exhibition Stadium | |||
| City | Toronto | |||
| Record | 96–66 (.593) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Labatt Breweries, Imperial Trust, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | |||
| General managers | Pat Gillick | |||
| Managers | Jimy Williams | |||
| Television | CFTO-TV (Don Chevrier, Tony Kubek, Fergie Olver) The Sports Network (Buck Martinez, Fergie Olver) | |||
| Radio | CJCL (AM) (Jerry Howarth, Tom Cheek) | |||
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Transactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 1987 season.[1]
October 1986
| October 8 | Released Mickey Mahler. |
| October 20 | Released Dennis Lamp. |
November 1986
| November 12 | Jim Clancy granted free agency. Cliff Johnson granted free agency. Buck Martinez granted free agency. Ernie Whitt granted free agency. |
December 1986
| December 8 | Drafted José Núñez from the Kansas City Royals in the 1986 MLB Rule 5 draft. Stan Clarke drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1986 MLB Rule 5 draft. Cliff Young drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 1986 MLB Rule 5 draft. |
| December 9 | Gibson Alba selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 1986 Minor League Draft. |
January 1987
| January 6 | Re-signed free agent Jim Clancy to a two-year, $1.75 million contract. |
| January 8 | Re-signed free agent Ernie Whitt to a three-year, $2.3 million contract.[2] |
| January 12 | Signed free agent Steve Fireovid from the Seattle Mariners to a contract. |
February 1987
| February 2 | Acquired Craig McMurtry from the Atlanta Braves for Dámaso García and Luis Leal. |
March 1987
| March 26 | Released Ron Shepherd. |
April 1987
| April 2 | Released Bill Caudill. |
| April 4 | Signed free agent Odell Jones from the Baltimore Orioles to a contract. |
| April 6 | Cliff Young returned from the Oakland Athletics. |
- Blue Jays left fielder George Bell drove in 134 runs to lead the American League, along with 47 home runs, and was selected the league's Most Valuable Player in a close vote over the Tigers' Alan Trammell.
- Tom Henke established himself as an elite closer, as he led the American League in saves with 34.
- Starting pitcher Jimmy Key led the American League with a 2.76 ERA.
- July 21, 1987: Jimmy Key threw exactly three pitches and recorded three outs.[3] This was accomplished in the second inning.
- September 14, 1987: The Blue Jays set a Major League record by hitting 10 home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Season standings
More information W, L ...
| AL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 98 | 64 | 0.605 | — | 54–27 | 44–37 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 96 | 66 | 0.593 | 2 | 52–29 | 44–37 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 91 | 71 | 0.562 | 7 | 48–33 | 43–38 |
| New York Yankees | 89 | 73 | 0.549 | 9 | 51–30 | 38–43 |
| Boston Red Sox | 78 | 84 | 0.481 | 20 | 50–30 | 28–54 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 31 | 31–51 | 36–44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 61 | 101 | 0.377 | 37 | 35–46 | 26–55 |
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Record vs. opponents
More information Team, BAL ...
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| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 1–12 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 4–9 | 9–3 | 2–11 | 5–7 | 3–10 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 1–12 |
| Boston | 12–1 | — | 4–8 | 3–9 | 7–6 | 2–11 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 |
| California | 3–9 | 8–4 | — | 8–5 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 3–9 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 5–7 |
| Chicago | 4–8 | 9–3 | 5–8 | — | 7–5 | 3–9 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 9–4 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 4–8 |
| Cleveland | 6–7 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | — | 4–9 | 6–6 | 4–9 | 3–9 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 2–10 | 5–8 |
| Detroit | 9–4 | 11–2 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 9–4 | — | 5–7 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 7–6 |
| Kansas City | 3–9 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 9–4 | 7–6 | 8–4 |
| Milwaukee | 11–2 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 7–6 | 8–4 | — | 3–9 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 9–3 | 9–4 |
| Minnesota | 7–5 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 9–3 | — | 6–6 | 10–3 | 9–4 | 6–7 | 3–9 |
| New York | 10–3 | 6–7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 6–6 | — | 5–7 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–7 |
| Oakland | 5–7 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 4–9 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 3–10 | 7–5 | — | 5–8 | 6–7 | 7–5 |
| Seattle | 8–4 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 4–9 | 8–4 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 8–5 | — | 9–4 | 2–10 |
| Texas | 5–7 | 5–7 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 10–2 | 4–8 | 6–7 | 3–9 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 4–9 | — | 3–9 |
| Toronto | 12–1 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 4–9 | 9–3 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 10–2 | 9–3 | — |
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Transactions
Transactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1987 regular season.[4]
April 1987
| April 17 | Released Steve Fireovid. |
June 1987
| June 5 | Signed free agent Charlie Moore from the Milwaukee Brewers to a one-year, $256,000 contract. |
July 1987
| July 14 | Acquired Juan Beníquez from the Kansas City Royals for Luis Aquino. |
| July 30 | Signed amateur free agent Nigel Wilson to a contract. |
August 1987
| August 4 | Signed amateur free agent Domingo Cedeño to a contract. |
| August 9 | Acquired Phil Niekro from the Cleveland Indians for Darryl Landrum and a player to be named later (Don Gordon on August 10, 1987). |
| August 18 | Signed amateur free agent Denis Boucher to a contract. |
| August 25 | Released Gary Lavelle. |
| August 31 | Released Phil Niekro. Acquired Mike Flanagan from the Baltimore Orioles for Oswaldo Peraza and a player to be named later (José Mesa on September 4, 1987). |
September 1987
| September 22 | Acquired Juan Guzmán from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mike Sharperson. |
Roster
| 1987 Toronto Blue Jays roster | |||||||||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters |
Manager
Coaches
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Game log
More information #, Date ...
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July
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August
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September
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| = Indicates team leader |
| = Indicates league leader |
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
More information Pos, Player ...
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ernie Whitt | 135 | 446 | 120 | .269 | 19 | 75 |
| 1B | Willie Upshaw | 150 | 512 | 125 | .244 | 15 | 58 |
| 2B | Garth Iorg | 122 | 310 | 65 | .210 | 4 | 30 |
| 3B | Kelly Gruber | 138 | 341 | 80 | .235 | 12 | 36 |
| SS | Tony Fernández | 146 | 578 | 186 | .322 | 5 | 67 |
| LF | George Bell | 156 | 610 | 188 | .308 | 47 | 134 |
| CF | Lloyd Moseby | 155 | 592 | 167 | .282 | 26 | 96 |
| RF | Jesse Barfield | 159 | 590 | 155 | .263 | 28 | 84 |
| DH | Fred McGriff | 107 | 295 | 73 | .247 | 20 | 43 |
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Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rance Mulliniks | 124 | 332 | 103 | .310 | 11 | 44 |
| Rick Leach | 98 | 195 | 55 | .282 | 3 | 25 |
| Cecil Fielder | 82 | 175 | 47 | .269 | 14 | 32 |
| Nelson Liriano | 37 | 158 | 38 | .241 | 2 | 10 |
| Manuel Lee | 56 | 121 | 31 | .256 | 1 | 11 |
| Charlie Moore | 51 | 107 | 23 | .215 | 1 | 27 |
| Mike Sharperson | 32 | 96 | 20 | .208 | 0 | 9 |
| Juan Beníquez | 39 | 81 | 23 | .284 | 5 | 21 |
| Rob Ducey | 34 | 48 | 9 | .188 | 1 | 6 |
| Jeff DeWillis | 13 | 25 | 3 | .120 | 1 | 2 |
| Matt Stark | 5 | 12 | 1 | .083 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Myers | 7 | 9 | 1 | .111 | 0 | 0 |
| Lou Thornton | 12 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 0 |
| Alexis Infante | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
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Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Key | 36 | 261.0 | 17 | 8 | 2.76 | 161 |
| Jim Clancy | 37 | 241.1 | 15 | 11 | 3.54 | 180 |
| Dave Stieb | 33 | 185.0 | 13 | 9 | 4.09 | 115 |
| Joe Johnson | 14 | 66.2 | 3 | 5 | 5.13 | 27 |
| Mike Flanagan | 7 | 49.1 | 3 | 2 | 2.37 | 43 |
| Phil Niekro | 3 | 12.0 | 0 | 2 | 8.25 | 7 |
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Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cerutti | 44 | 151.1 | 11 | 4 | 4.40 | 92 |
| José Núñez | 37 | 97.0 | 5 | 2 | 5.01 | 99 |
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Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Henke | 72 | 0 | 6 | 34 | 2.49 | 128 |
| Mark Eichhorn | 89 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3.17 | 96 |
| Jeff Musselman | 68 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4.15 | 54 |
| Gary Lavelle | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5.53 | 17 |
| David Wells | 18 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3.99 | 32 |
| Duane Ward | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.94 | 10 |
| Don Gordon | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.09 | 3 |
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- Jesse Barfield, Gold Glove Award
- George Bell, American League RBI Champion, 134
- George Bell, American League MVP
- George Bell, Silver Slugger Award
- George Bell, The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
- Jim Clancy, Pitcher of the Month Award, May
- Tony Fernández, Gold Glove Award
- Tom Henke, American League Leader, Saves, 34
- Jimmy Key, American League ERA Champion, 2.76 ERA
- George Bell, OF, starter
- Tony Fernández, shortstop, reserve [5]
- Tom Henke, pitcher, reserve
See also: Minor League Baseball
More information Level, Team ...
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LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Myrtle Beach[6]
- "1987 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- "Catcher Ernie Whitt accepted a lesser contract from the..." www.upi.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- "1987 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
- 1987 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball Reference
- 1987 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball Almanac
- The Fall of '87 — Sportsnet article by Gare Joyce