1990_Toronto_Blue_Jays_season
1990 Toronto Blue Jays season
Major League Baseball team season
The 1990 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 14th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing second in the American League East with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses. It was their first full season in the SkyDome, where an MLB attendance record of 3,885,284 was set that year.[1] The Blue Jays led the division by 1½ games over the Boston Red Sox with one week left in the season. However, they then proceeded to drop six of their last eight games, losing the division title to the Red Sox by a two-game margin.
Quick Facts Toronto Blue Jays, League ...
| 1990 Toronto Blue Jays | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | SkyDome | |||
| City | Toronto | |||
| Record | 86–76 (.531) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Labatt Breweries, Imperial Trust, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | |||
| General managers | Pat Gillick | |||
| Managers | Cito Gaston | |||
| Television | CFTO-TV (Don Chevrier, Tommy Hutton, Fergie Olver) The Sports Network (Jim Hughson, Buck Martinez) | |||
| Radio | CJCL (AM) (Jerry Howarth, Tom Cheek) | |||
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Transactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 1990 season.[2]
October 1989
| October 15 | DeWayne Buice granted free agency. Mark Ross granted free agency. |
| October 20 | Released Ozzie Virgil Jr. |
| October 22 | Enrique Burgos granted free agency. Chico Walker granted free agency. |
November 1989
| November 13 | Tom Lawless granted free agency (signed with the Toronto Blue Jays to a one-year, $250,000 contract on December 7, 1989). Lee Mazzilli granted free agency. Lloyd Moseby granted free agency (signed with the Detroit Tigers to a two-year, $3 million contract on December 7, 1989). Mookie Wilson granted free agency (signed with the Toronto Blue Jays to a two-year, $2.75 million contract on November 27, 1989). |
| November 20 | Player rights of Alexis Infante sold to the Atlanta Braves. |
| November 27 | Re-signed free agent Mookie Wilson to a two-year, $2.75 million contract. |
December 1989
| December 4 | Sil Campusano drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1989 MLB Rule 5 draft. Xavier Hernandez drafted by the Houston Astros in the 1989 MLB Rule 5 draft. Steve Wapnick drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1989 MLB Rule 5 draft. |
| December 5 | Drafted Mike Maksudian from the Miami Miracle of the FSL in the 1989 Minor League Draft. |
| December 7 | Re-signed free agent Tom Lawless to a one-year, $250,000 contract. Acquired Paul Kilgus from the Chicago Cubs for José Núñez. |
| December 17 | Acquired Ricky Trlicek from the Atlanta Braves for Kevin Batiste and Ernie Whitt. |
January 1990
| January 10 | Signed amateur free agent Tilson Brito to a contract. Signed amateur free agent José Herrera to a contract. Signed amateur free agent Sandy Martínez to a contract. |
| January 23 | Signed amateur free agent Giovanni Carrara to a contract. |
| January 29 | Signed free agent Jim Eppard from the California Angels to a contract. |
February 1990
| February 2 | Re-signed free agent Ozzie Virgil Jr. to a one-year, $275,000 contract. |
The 1990 season belonged to third baseman Kelly Gruber. He had career highs in home runs and RBIs, with 31 and 118, respectively. Along with outfielder George Bell and pitcher Dave Stieb, Gruber was named an American League All-Star, stealing two bases in the All-Star Game on July 10 at Chicago's Wrigley Field. A finalist for the American League MVP Award, at season's end he was named the AL's Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award winner at third base.
The Blue Jays were involved in two no-hitters during the 1990 season. On June 29, Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics no-hit them by a score of 5–0. On September 2, Jays ace Dave Stieb finally got the no-hitter that had eluded him, blanking the Cleveland Indians 3–0.
Opening Day starters
- George Bell, OF
- Junior Felix, OF
- Tony Fernández, SS
- Kelly Gruber, 3B
- Nelson Liriano, 2B
- Fred McGriff, 1B
- Greg Myers, C
- John Olerud, DH
- Dave Stieb, P
- Mookie Wilson, OF
Season standings
More information W, L ...
| AL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 88 | 74 | 0.543 | — | 51–30 | 37–44 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 86 | 76 | 0.531 | 2 | 44–37 | 42–39 |
| Detroit Tigers | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 9 | 39–42 | 40–41 |
| Cleveland Indians | 77 | 85 | 0.475 | 11 | 41–40 | 36–45 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 76 | 85 | 0.472 | 11½ | 40–40 | 36–45 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 74 | 88 | 0.457 | 14 | 39–42 | 35–46 |
| New York Yankees | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 21 | 37–44 | 30–51 |
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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 | — | 4–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 8–3 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 8–4 | 5–8 |
| Boston | 9–4 | — | 7–5 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 9–4 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 10–3 |
| California | 5–7 | 5–7 | — | 5–8 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 4–9 | 5–8 | 8–5 | 7–5 |
| Chicago | 6–6 | 6–6 | 8–5 | — | 5–7 | 5–7 | 9–4 | 10–2 | 7–6 | 10–2 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 5–7 |
| Cleveland | 7–6 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 7–5 | — | 5–8 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 4–9 |
| Detroit | 7–6 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 8–5 | — | 5–7 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–8 |
| Kansas City | 3–8 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 4–8 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 4–9 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 5–7 |
| Milwaukee | 6–7 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 2–10 | 4–9 | 10–3 | 8–4 | — | 4–8 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 7–6 |
| Minnesota | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–9 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 8–4 | — | 6–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 3–9 |
| New York | 7–6 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 2–10 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 6–6 | — | 0–12 | 9–3 | 3–9 | 5–8 |
| Oakland | 8–4 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 12–0 | — | 9–4 | 8–5 | 7–5 |
| Seattle | 9–3 | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 3–9 | 4–9 | — | 7–6 | 6–6 |
| Texas | 4–8 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 9–3 | 5–8 | 6–7 | — | 7–5 |
| Toronto | 8–5 | 3–10 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — |
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Transactions
Transactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1990 regular season.[3]
May 1990
| May 1 | Steve Wapnick returned by the Detroit Tigers. |
| May 8 | Released Mike Flanagan. |
June 1990
| June 18 | Selected Kenny Williams off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers. |
July 1990
| July 22 | Released Tom Lawless. |
| July 27 | Acquired John Candelaria from the Minnesota Twins for Nelson Liriano and Pedro Muñoz. |
September 1990
| September 16 | Acquired Bud Black from the Cleveland Indians for Mauro Gozzo and players to be named later (Steve Cummings on September 21, 1990 and Alex Sanchez on September 24, 1990). |
| September 24 | Signed amateur free agent Rich Butler to a contract. Signed amateur free agent Rob Butler to a contract. Selected Rick Luecken off of waivers from the Atlanta Braves. |
1990 MLB Draft
- June 4, 1990: 1990 Major League Baseball draft
- Steve Karsay was drafted by the Jays in the 1st round (22nd pick).[4]
- Future Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke was drafted by the Blue Jays. Player signed August 20, 1990.[5]
- Felipe Crespo was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 3rd round. Player signed September 22, 1990.[6]
- Howard Battle was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 4th round. Player signed June 6, 1990.[7]
- Ricardo Jordan was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 37th round.[8]
Eric Lindros
The hype around Eric Lindros during his early career led to an exclusive deal with sports card manufacturer SCORE. Attempting to leverage this arrangement as much as possible, he was even featured on a baseball card showing him as a third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, although he never actually played baseball. He was only there taking batting practice one day.[9]
| 1990 Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters
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Coaches
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April
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July
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August
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September
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| = Indicates team 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 | Pat Borders | 125 | 346 | 99 | .286 | 15 | 49 |
| 1B | Fred McGriff | 153 | 557 | 167 | .300 | 35 | 88 |
| 2B | Manuel Lee | 117 | 391 | 95 | .243 | 6 | 41 |
| 3B | Kelly Gruber | 150 | 592 | 162 | .274 | 31 | 118 |
| SS | Tony Fernández | 161 | 635 | 175 | .276 | 4 | 66 |
| LF | George Bell | 142 | 562 | 149 | .265 | 21 | 86 |
| CF | Mookie Wilson | 147 | 588 | 156 | .265 | 3 | 51 |
| RF | Junior Félix | 127 | 463 | 122 | .263 | 15 | 65 |
| DH | John Olerud | 111 | 358 | 95 | .265 | 14 | 48 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenallen Hill | 84 | 260 | 60 | .231 | 12 | 32 |
| Greg Myers | 87 | 250 | 59 | .236 | 5 | 22 |
| Nelson Liriano | 50 | 170 | 36 | .212 | 1 | 15 |
| Rance Mulliniks | 57 | 97 | 28 | .289 | 2 | 16 |
| Mark Whiten | 33 | 88 | 24 | .273 | 2 | 7 |
| Luis Sojo | 33 | 80 | 18 | .225 | 1 | 9 |
| Kenny Williams | 49 | 72 | 14 | .194 | 0 | 8 |
| Rob Ducey | 19 | 53 | 16 | .302 | 0 | 7 |
| Tom Lawless | 15 | 12 | 1 | .083 | 0 | 1 |
| Jim Eppard | 6 | 5 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 0 |
| Ozzie Virgil Jr. | 3 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlos Diaz | 9 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Quinlan | 1 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Stieb | 33 | 208.2 | 18 | 6 | 2.93 | 125 |
| Todd Stottlemyre | 33 | 203.0 | 13 | 17 | 4.34 | 115 |
| Jimmy Key | 27 | 154.2 | 13 | 7 | 4.25 | 88 |
| John Cerutti | 30 | 140.0 | 9 | 9 | 4.76 | 49 |
| Mike Flanagan | 5 | 20.1 | 2 | 2 | 5.31 | 5 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Wells | 43 | 189.0 | 11 | 6 | 3.14 | 115 |
| Willie Blair | 27 | 68.2 | 3 | 5 | 4.06 | 43 |
| John Candelaria | 13 | 21.1 | 0 | 3 | 5.48 | 19 |
| Bud Black | 3 | 15.2 | 2 | 1 | 4.02 | 3 |
| Steve Cummings | 6 | 12.1 | 0 | 0 | 5.11 | 4 |
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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 | 61 | 2 | 4 | 32 | 2.17 | 75 |
| Duane Ward | 73 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 3.45 | 112 |
| Jim Acker | 59 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3.83 | 54 |
| Frank Wills | 44 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4.73 | 72 |
| Paul Kilgus | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.06 | 7 |
| Al Leiter | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 |
| Bob MacDonald | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Tom Gilles | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 0 |
| Rick Luecken | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 |
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- Kelly Gruber, Player of the Month Award, September
- Kelly Gruber, Silver Slugger Award
- Kelly Gruber, Gold Glove Award
- George Bell, OF
- Kelly Gruber, 3B
- Dave Stieb, P [10]
See also: Minor League Baseball
More information Level, Team ...
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- "BLUE JAYS TIMELINE (1990–1999)". The Official Site of The Toronto Blue Jays. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- "1990 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- "1990 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- Baseball Draft: 1st Round of the 1990 June Draft Baseball-Reference.com
- Felipe Crespo at Baseball Reference
- Howard Battle at Baseball Reference
- Ricardo Jordan at Baseball Reference
- Archived July 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, The Baseball Card Project, accessed August 31, 2006
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
- 1990 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball Reference
- 1990 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball Almanac