1989_Toronto_Blue_Jays_season

1989 Toronto Blue Jays season

1989 Toronto Blue Jays season

Major League Baseball team season


The 1989 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 13th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing first in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses. The Blue Jays' ace pitcher Dave Stieb led the staff with 17 victories, and the team was offensively buoyed by the league's home run king Fred McGriff.[1] Toronto won the AL East pennant in the final weekend of the season against the favored Baltimore Orioles.[1] The Blue Jays lost the ALCS in five games to the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics. It was the team's last season at Exhibition Stadium, before moving to SkyDome halfway into the season. The Blue Jays hit eight grand slams, the most in MLB in 1989.[2]

Quick Facts Toronto Blue Jays, League ...

Transactions

Transactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 1989 season.[3]

October 1988

October 9 Signed amateur free agent Carlos Delgado to a contract.
October 15 Steve Davis granted free agency.
Lou Thornton granted free agency.
Dave Walsh granted free agency.
October 24 Jim Clancy granted free agency.
October 28 Released Frank Wills.
October 31 Released Doug Bair.

November 1988

November 4 Mike Flanagan granted free agency.
Rick Leach granted free agency.

December 1988

December 5 Gerónimo Berroa drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1988 MLB Rule 5 draft.
Matt Stark drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1988 MLB Rule 5 draft.
Eric Yelding drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1988 MLB Rule 5 draft.
December 6 Drafted Tom Gilles from the Minnesota Twins in the 1988 Minor League Draft.
Drafted Mauro Gozzo from the Kansas City Royals in the 1988 Minor League Draft.
December 22 Player rights of Cecil Fielder sold to the Hanshin Tigers of the NPB.
December 24 Re-signed free agent Mike Flanagan to a contract.

January 1989

January 12 Re-signed free agent Frank Wills to a contract.
January 18 Signed free agent Bob Brenly from the San Francisco Giants to a contract.
January 23 Signed free agent Tom Lawless from the St. Louis Cardinals to a one-year, $175,000 contract.
January 28 Signed free agent Chico Walker from the Chicago Cubs to a contract.

February 1989

February 17 Re-signed free agent Doug Bair to a one-year, $150,000 contract.

March 1989

March 9 Acquired DeWayne Buice from the California Angels for Cliff Young.
March 29 Player rights of Mark Eichhorn sold to the Atlanta Braves.

Regular season

The regular season would represent a turning point for the Blue Jays in many different ways. The Blue Jays started the 1989 season in Kansas City against the Royals. Behind the pitching of Jimmy Key, the Jays won the first game of the season 4–3.[4] The rest of the month would result in a losing record for the Jays. After the first month of the season, the Blue Jays had 10 wins and 20 losses and sat 6.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the standings. The result was that Pat Gillick made his first trade in 605 days.[4] On April 30, Gillick sent Jesse Barfield to the New York Yankees in exchange for Al Leiter.[4] The reason for the deal was that management was convinced that Rob Ducey was ready to be an everyday outfielder. The spot eventually went to the surprising Junior Felix that year, and Ducey never became the everyday player the Jays imagined him to be.

The Blue Jays had never fired a manager in the middle of the season. After the Jays were swept by the Minnesota Twins in a three-game series, including a 13–1 loss in the final game of the series, the Jays had 12 wins and 24 losses.[5] The Jays had also lost 15 of their last 19 games. Gillick decided that a change was needed. On Monday, May 15, Jimy Williams had become the first Jays manager to be fired in mid-season.[6] Williams would be replaced by Cito Gaston, the first black manager in the history of the franchise.

The Blue Jays' last game at Exhibition Stadium was against the first team they played there, the Chicago White Sox. From there, the Blue Jays opened the new Skydome with a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. On September 30, they clinched the American League East division title at the new ballpark.

Notable games

  • April 16, 1989 Blue Jays third baseman Kelly Gruber hits for the cycle in a 15–8 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
  • May 4, 1989 In a game versus the California Angels, Junior Felix hits a home run in his first Major League at-bat, becoming only the 60th Major Leaguer to achieve the feat.[7]
  • May 28, 1989 The Blue Jays play their final game at Exhibition Stadium, a 7–5 10-inning win over the Chicago White Sox. Coincidentally, the White Sox had been the Jays' opponents in their first game at Exhibition Stadium (also the first game in franchise history) twelve years before.
  • June 4, 1989 The Blue Jays stage a remarkable comeback in a game against the Red Sox in Boston. Trailing 10–0 after six innings, they slowly close the gap, finally taking an 11-10 lead on a ninth-inning grand slam by Ernie Whitt. Boston ties the score in the bottom half of the inning, but Junior Felix smokes a two-run home run in the top of the 12th inning, giving Toronto a 13–11 victory.[8][9]
  • June 5, 1989 The Blue Jays play their first game in the brand-new SkyDome, a 5–3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.[10]
  • August 4, 1989 With the Blue Jays leading the New York Yankees 2–0, Dave Stieb comes one out away from pitching a perfect game, but the Yankees' Roberto Kelly cracks a double into left field to break it up. Steve Sax then singles Kelly home to cut the lead to 2–1, but the Blue Jays ace holds on for the victory. It marks the third time in two seasons that Stieb has lost a no-hitter with two out in the ninth inning.[11]
  • September 30, 1989 In the next-to-last game of the regular season (and the last edition of NBC Sports' Saturday afternoon Game of the Week before the series moved to CBS the following season), the Blue Jays clinch their second American League East division title. Tom Henke strikes out the Baltimore Orioles' Larry Sheets for the final out.[12]

Opening Day starters

Season standings

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Record vs. opponents

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Transactions

Transactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1989 regular season.[13]

April 1989

April 30 Acquired Al Leiter from the New York Yankees for Jesse Barfield.

May 1989

May 1 Signed amateur free agent Robert Pérez to a contract.

June 1989

June 12 Released Dane Johnson.
June 16 Player rights of Doug Bair sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
June 24 Signed free agent Ozzie Virgil Jr. from the Atlanta Braves to a contract.

July 1989

July 18 Released Bob Brenly.
July 31 Acquired Mookie Wilson from the New York Mets for Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady.
Selected Lee Mazzilli off of waivers from the New York Mets.

August 1989

August 24 Acquired Jim Acker from the Atlanta Braves for Francisco Cabrera and Tony Castillo.
August 26 Signed amateur free agent Paul Spoljaric to a contract.

Draft picks

  • June 5, 1989: John Olerud was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 3rd round of the 1989 amateur draft. Player signed August 26, 1989.[14]
  • June 5, 1989: Aaron Small was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round of the 1989 amateur draft. Player signed June 8, 1989.[15]

Roster

1989 Toronto Blue Jays
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Game log

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Player stats

= 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

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[16]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

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Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

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Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

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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 ...

[16]

ALCS

Game 1

October 3, 1989, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum

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Game 2

October 4, 1989, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum

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Game 3

October 6, 1989, at SkyDome

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Game 4

October 7, 1989, at SkyDome

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Game 5

October 8, 1989, at SkyDome

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Award winners

All-Star Game

Farm system

[18]


References

  1. Complete Book of 1990 Baseball Cards. Publications International, Ltd. 1990. p. 12. ISBN 0-88176-804-9.
  2. "1989 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  3. Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball, Stephen Brunt, p.230, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-023978-2
  4. Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball, Stephen Brunt, p.231, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-023978-2
  5. Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball, Stephen Brunt, p.232, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-023978-2
  6. Kelly, Cathal (August 18, 2008). "Red-hot Jays burn hole in Bosox". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  7. "Blue Jays Open the SkyDome but Lose". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 6, 1989. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  8. Martinez, Michael (August 5, 1989). "A Perfect Night for Stieb Is Ruined by Kelly". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  9. Gammons, Peter (October 9, 1989). "Oh, What A Relief It Is". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  10. "1989 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  11. John Olerud at Baseball Reference
  12. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

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