1993 Toronto Blue Jays season

1993 Toronto Blue Jays
1993 AL East Champions
1993 AL Champions
1993 World Series Champions
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s) Labatt Breweries,
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
General manager(s) Pat Gillick
Manager(s) Cito Gaston
Local television CFTO-TV/CBLT (TV)
(Don Chevrier, Tom Hutton, Brian Williams, Fergie Olver, Jim Hughson)
The Sports Network
(Jim Hughson, Buck Martinez)
Local radio CJCL (AM)
(Jerry Howarth, Tom Cheek)
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The 1993 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's seventeenth season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing first in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses.[1] They were shut out only once in 162 regular-season games. The Blue Jays would repeat as World Champions and become the first back-to-back champions since the 1977–1978 New York Yankees. The American League Championship Series would see the Blue Jays play the Chicago White Sox. After defeating the White Sox in six games, the Blue Jays would beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, also in six games. To date, this was the last time the Blue Jays qualified for the postseason.

This season marked the first time that a manager from the Blue Jays would manage the American League in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was the 64th Mid-Summer Classic and was played on July 13 at Camden Yards in Baltimore with Cito Gaston leading the American League squad. John Olerud, Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, and Paul Molitor were all starters for the American League. Pat Hentgen, Duane Ward and Devon White were named as reserves to the American League team. The American League defeated the National League by a score of 9–3.

Offseason

Spring training

The Toronto Blue Jays spent their 17th Spring Training at Dunedin, Florida, while playing their home exhibition games at Dunedin Stadium at Grant Field for the 4th Spring Training season.

Regular season

Season standings

AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Toronto Blue Jays 95 67 0.586 — 48–33 47–34
New York Yankees 88 74 0.543 7 50–31 38–43
Baltimore Orioles 85 77 0.525 10 48–33 37–44
Detroit Tigers 85 77 0.525 10 44–37 41–40
Boston Red Sox 80 82 0.494 15 43–38 37–44
Cleveland Indians 76 86 0.469 19 46–35 30–51
Milwaukee Brewers 69 93 0.426 26 38–43 31–50

Roster

1993 Toronto Blue Jays
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

  • 33 Ed Sprague
Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Transactions

Game Log

1993 Game Log: 95–67 (Home: 48–33; Road: 47–34)

Notes:

a All times in North American Eastern Time.

Player stats

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

= Indicates team leader
Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Pat Borders 138 488 124 .254 9 55
1B John Olerud 158 551 200 .363 24 107
2B Roberto Alomar 153 589 192 .326 17 93
3B Ed Sprague 150 546 142 .260 12 73
SS Tony Fernández 94 353 108 .306 4 50
LF Rickey Henderson 44 163 35 .215 4 12
CF Devon White 146 598 163 .273 15 52
RF Joe Carter 155 603 153 .254 33 121
DH Paul Molitor 160 636 211 .332 22 111

[20]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Darnell Coles 64 194 49 .253 4 26
Darrin Jackson 46 176 38 .216 5 19
Turner Ward 72 167 32 .192 4 28
Dick Schofield 36 110 21 .191 0 5
Randy Knorr 39 101 25 .248 4 20
Alfredo Griffin 46 95 20 .211 0 3
Rob Butler 17 48 13 .271 0 2
Willie Cañate 38 47 10 .213 1 3

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Pat Hentgen 34 216⅓ 19 9 3.87 122
Juan Guzmán 33 221 14 3 3.99 194
Dave Stewart 26 162 12 8 4.44 96
Todd Stottlemyre 30 176⅔ 11 12 4.84 98
Jack Morris 27 152⅔ 7 12 6.19 103

[20]

Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Al Leiter 34 105 9 6 4.11 66
Woody Williams 30 37 3 1 4.38 24
Scott Brow 6 18 1 1 6.00 7
Doug Linton 4 11 0 1 6.55 4
Huck Flener 6 6⅔ 0 0 4.05 2
Ken Dayley 2 ⅔ 0 0 0.00 2

[20]

Relief pitchers

Player G IP W L SV ERA SO
Duane Ward 71 71⅔ 2 3 45 2.13 97
Danny Cox 44 83⅔ 7 6 2 3.12 87
Mark Eichhorn 54 72⅔ 3 1 0 2.72 47
Mike Timlin 54 55⅔ 4 2 1 4.69 49
Tony Castillo 51 50⅔ 3 2 0 3.38 28

[20]

American League Championship Series

Game 1

October 5, Comiskey Park

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Toronto 000 230 200 7171
Chicago 000 300 00X 361
W: Juan Guzmán (1-0)  L: Jack McDowell (0-1)  
HRs: TOR – Paul Molitor (1)

The ALCS opened at Comiskey Park with a battle of aces, as Toronto threw Juan Guzmán against Chicago's Jack McDowell, the eventual 1993 American League Cy Young Award winner. The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth, when Jays third baseman Ed Sprague stroked a triple to right field that scored John Olerud and Paul Molitor. The White Sox took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth with RBI base hits by Ozzie Guillén and Tim Raines, but Toronto stormed back in its half of the fifth with a two-run double by Olerud and a run-scoring single by Molitor. The Jays' designated hitter added a two-run homer in the seventh that finally chased McDowell, and the Chicago batters could muster nothing more against Toronto's bullpen as the Jays took the game 7-3 and a 1-0 lead in the series.

Game 2

October 6, Comiskey Park

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Toronto 100 200 000 380
Chicago 100 000 000 172
W: Dave Stewart (1-0)  L: Alex Fernandez (0-1)  SV: Duane Ward (1)
HRs: None

In Game 2, the Jays' Dave Stewart faced off against the Sox' Alex Fernandez. Toronto struck in the first when Rickey Henderson reached on an error by Dan Pasqua and later scored on a fielder's choice by Roberto Alomar, but the Pale Hose tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Stewart walked the bases loaded and then unleashed a wild pitch, scoring Raines. The contest remained knotted at one-all until the top of the fourth, when the Jays touched Fernandez for two runs via singles by Tony Fernández and Pat Borders. As in the first game, the ChiSox could not solve Toronto's relievers, and Duane Ward (who had notched a league-leading 45 saves during the regular season) secured his first playoff save as the Jays took a 2-0 lead in the series with a 3-1 victory.

Game 3

October 8, SkyDome

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 005 100 000 6120
Toronto 001 000 000 171
W: Wilson Álvarez (1-0)  L: Pat Hentgen (0-1)  
HRs: None

The series shifted north of the border for Game 3, featuring Chicago's Wilson Álvarez taking on Toronto's Pat Hentgen. The two starters traded zeroes until the South Siders erupted with a five-run third, including a pair of two-run singles by Ellis Burks and Lance Johnson. The Blue Jays got a run in the bottom half of the frame when Henderson doubled, stole third, and scored on a Devon White single, but Hentgen was pulled in the fourth after giving up back-to-back base hits. His replacement on the mound, Danny Cox, gave up another run when a Robin Ventura sacrifice fly plated Guillén. This was more than enough for Alvarez, who went the distance as the Pale Hose cut Toronto's series lead to 2-1.

Game 4

October 9, SkyDome

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 020 003 101 7110
Toronto 003 001 000 490
W: Tim Belcher (1-0)  L: Todd Stottlemyre (0-1)  SV: Roberto Hernández (1)
HRs: CHI – Frank Thomas (1), Lance Johnson (1)

In the fourth game, the ChiSox sent Jason Bere to the hill against the Jays' Todd Stottlemyre. The South Siders took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to a home run by Johnson, but Toronto came back in the third with an RBI double from Alomar and a two-run single by Joe Carter, after which Pale Hose skipper Gene Lamont yanked Bere and replaced him with Tim Belcher. Chicago reclaimed its two-run advantage in the sixth when Frank Thomas tattooed a solo homer and Johnson tripled to center, scoring Burks and Bo Jackson. In the bottom of the inning, another RBI double from Alomar cut the lead to one, but the White Sox again restored their two-run lead in the seventh with a groundout from Joey Cora that scored Guillén and then extended it to three runs in the ninth with a single by Ventura. Roberto Hernández shut the door on the Jays in the bottom half of the inning, and the series was tied at two games apiece.

Game 5

October 10, SkyDome

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 000 010 002 351
Toronto 111 100 10X 5140
W: Juan Guzmán (2-0)  L: Jack McDowell (0-2)  
HRs: CHI – Ellis Burks (1), Robin Ventura (1)

Game 5 was a rematch of Game 1, with McDowell facing Guzmán. In the first, Henderson doubled to left and then tried to steal third, but McDowell's throwing error resulted in Henderson coming home for a 1-0 Toronto lead. The Jays tacked on single runs in the second, third, and fourth, but Burks broke the shutout in the Chicago fifth with a solo home run. In the seventh, Scott Radinsky and Hernández came in to stop the bleeding for the ChiSox, but they combined to give up another run. In the ninth, Ward entered to close out the game and Ventura greeted him with a two-run shot, but he maintained his composure and struck out Jackson to give Toronto a 3-2 ALCS lead.

Game 6

October 12, Comiskey Park

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Toronto 020 100 003 6100
Chicago 002 000 001 353
W: Dave Stewart (2-0)  L: Alex Fernandez (0-2)  SV: Duane Ward (2)
HRs: TOR – Devon White (1); CHI – Warren Newson (1)

The series returned to the Windy City for Game 6, as Stewart again faced Fernandez. In the top of the second, Borders ripped a two-run single that gave the Jays the lead, but the Pale Hose tied it in the third with a bases-loaded walk by Thomas and a fielder's choice from Ventura. In the fourth, Toronto took the lead back when Molitor reached on an error by Ventura and came home on a fielder's choice by Borders. The game stayed that way until the ninth, when White homered and Molitor cracked a two-run triple to right, giving the Jays a 6-2 lead. ChiSox reserve outfielder Warren Newson tagged Ward for a solo homer in the ninth, but the Jays closer recovered and induced a flyout from Raines, sealing the game 6-3 and Toronto's second American League pennant in a row.

World Series

Main article: 1993 World Series

Game 1

October 16, 1993 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Canada

The series' first game sent two staff aces -- Curt Schilling for Philadelphia and Juan Guzman for Toronto—against one another. The result was less than a pitcher's duel, however, as both teams scored early and often.

The deciding plays came in the middle innings. With Toronto behind 4-3 in the 5th inning, Devon White hit a solo home run to tie the game. The next inning, John Olerud hit a solo home run of his own to put Toronto on top. Toronto added three insurance runs in the bottom of the 7th and held on to win 8-5. Al Leiter pitched 22⁄3 innings—in relief of a sporadic Juan Guzman, who walked four in just five innings—for his first World Series win. John Kruk had three hits for Philadelphia.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Philadelphia 201 010 001 5111
Toronto 021 011 30X 8103
W: Al Leiter (1-0)   L: Curt Schilling (0-1)  S: Duane Ward (1)
HR – TOR: Devon White (1), John Olerud (1)

Game 2

October 17, 1993 at SkyDome in Toronto, Canada

In the second game of the series, Dave Stewart was on the mound for Toronto and Terry Mulholland started for Philadelphia. Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead: in the third inning, Jim Eisenreich followed John Kruk and Dave Hollins RBI singles with a three-run home run to deep right-centre. Toronto got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning courtesy of a Joe Carter two-run home run to left (his second most important home run of the series by a wide margin), but the Jays were unable to mount a significant offensive push later in the game. Philadelphia held on to win 6-4. Terry Mulholland pitched 52⁄3 innings, allowing 3 earned runs, for the win.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Philadelphia 005 000 100 6120
Toronto 000 201 010 480
W: Terry Mulholland (1-0)   L: Dave Stewart (0-1)  S: Mitch Williams (1)
HR: PHI – Jim Eisenreich (1), Lenny Dykstra (1)  TOR – Joe Carter (1)

Game 3

October 19, 1993 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For Toronto, Pat Hentgen faced off against Philadelphia starter Danny Jackson in Game 3. Hentgen pitched a strong 6 innings, allowing just 1 run, and the Toronto offense took care of the rest. Toronto won 10-3.

Toronto manager Cito Gaston was faced with an unusual and difficult decision prior to game time. As the series switched the National League ballpark, Gaston was forced to sit one player from his regular line-up as the designated hitter (DH) would not be allowed to play. As regular DH Paul Molitor had been a hot hand in the line-up, Gaston elected to sit firstbaseman John Olerud and place Molitor at first base. The decision was potentially controversial as Olerud led the American League in batting during the year with a .363 average and Molitor was the less sure-handed fielder. Molitor, however, put these concerns to rest, going 3 for 4, hitting a home run in the 3rd inning, and driving in 3 runs.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Toronto 301 001 302 10131
Philadelphia 000 010 101 391
W: Pat Hentgen (1-0)   L: Danny Jackson (0-1)  
HR: TOR – Paul Molitor (1)  PHI – Milt Thompson (1)

Game 4

October 20, 1993 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In the fourth game of the series, Todd Stottlemyre started for Toronto while Tommy Greene started for Philadelphia. The starters are notable because neither lasted three innings.

In one of the more unusual plays in World Series history, Todd Stottlemyre, trying to go first to third on a Roberto Alomar single in the 2nd inning, did a bellyflop diving into third base, where he was called out. Todd's awkward dive resulted in an abrasion on his chin and appeared to shake him up in the next inning, during which he surrendered a Lenny Dykstra two-run home run. Stottlemyre was pulled after the second inning, having already given up six runs. (Tommy Greene fared little better, being pulled after giving up seven runs in 21⁄3 innings.)

Philadelphia took a commanding 12-7 lead in the 5th inning, courtesy of two-run home runs from Darren Daulton and Dykstra, and a run-scoring double from Milt Thompson.

Toronto fought back from a 14-9 deficit in the 8th inning, scoring six runs on run scoring hits from Paul Molitor, Tony Fernández, Rickey Henderson, and Devon White. Duane Ward pitched the final 11⁄3 innings, preserving the 15-14 victory. Three new World Series records included the longest game at four hours fourteen minutes (4:14), most runs by both clubs with twenty-nine (29), and runs scored by a losing team with fourteen (14).

Also, Charlie Williams became the first African American to serve as the home plate umpire for a World Series game.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Toronto 304 002 060 15180
Philadelphia 420 151 100 14140
W: Tony Castillo (1-0)   L: Mitch Williams (0-1)  S: Duane Ward (2)
HR: PHI – Lenny Dykstra 2 (3), Darren Daulton (1)

Game 5

October 21, 1993 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The offenses were due for an off-day, and it came in Game 5 courtesy of a Curt Schilling (Philadelphia) and Juan Guzman (Toronto) pitching duel. Schilling shut down the previously unstoppable Toronto offense, limiting the team to just five hits and no runs. Guzman pitched well in a losing effort, allowing only two runs and five hits in seven innings of work.

The two runs scored as a result of scrappy play from the Philadelphia offense. In the first inning, Lenny Dykstra walked, stole second, moved to third on a Pat Borders throwing error, and scored on a John Kruk ground out. In the second inning, Darren Daulton opened with a double, took third on a ground out, and scored on a Kevin Stocker single.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Toronto 000 000 000 051
Philadelphia 110 000 00X 251
W: Curt Schilling (1-1)   L: Juan Guzman (1-1)  

Game 6

October 23, 1993 at SkyDome in Toronto, Canada

The sixth game in the series was a rematch between Game 2 starters Terry Mulholland and Dave Stewart, who would have similar results. Toronto opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first with a run-scoring Paul Molitor triple, Joe Carter sacrifice fly, and Roberto Alomar RBI single. Molitor added a solo home run in the 5th inning, bringing the score to 5-1 for Toronto.

In the 7th inning, Philadelphia fought back with five runs to take a 6-5 lead. Lenny Dykstra hit a three-run home run, Dave Hollins had an RBI single and Pete Incaviglia hit a sacrifice fly. The inning brought an end to Dave Stewart's night, leaving the game with 6 innings pitched and 4 runs given up.

Philadelphia closer Mitch Williams came on to the pitch the bottom of the 9th with Philadelphia clinging to a 6-5 lead. After beginning the inning by walking Rickey Henderson, Williams tried to counter Henderson's speed by pitching out of a slide-step style of pitching delivery. Prior to Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, Williams never used the slide-step delivery in his career. This may have cut back on the velocity of the hard throwing Williams. The walk to Henderson was followed by a Devon White fly out and a single by Paul Molitor. Joe Carter came up next and, on a two strike pitch, he hit an inside pitch just over the left field fence for a three-run walk off home run, giving the Blue Jays a come-from-behind 8-6 victory, and the World Series crown. This was only the second time a world series has ended with a home run and last time a run was scored in the World Series outside of the United States.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Philadelphia 000 100 500 670
Toronto 300 110 003 890
W: Duane Ward (1-0)   L: Mitch Williams (0-2)  
HR: PHI – Lenny Dykstra (4)  TOR – Paul Molitor (2), Joe Carter (2)

Postseason Game Log

1993 Playoff Game Log

Notes:

a All times in North American Eastern Time.

Awards and honors

All-Star Game

The 1993 Toronto Blue Jays were inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[23]

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Syracuse Chiefs International League Nick Leyva and Bob Didier
AA Knoxville Smokies Southern League Garth Iorg
A Dunedin Blue Jays Florida State League Dennis Holmberg
A Hagerstown Suns South Atlantic League Jim Nettles
Short-Season A St. Catharines Blue Jays New York–Penn League J. J. Cannon
Rookie GCL Blue Jays Gulf Coast League Héctor Torres
Rookie Medicine Hat Blue Jays Pioneer League Omar Malavé

[24]

References

  1. ↑ "1993 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball-Reference". Archived from the original on June 20, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  2. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/maksumi01.shtml
  3. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/weathda01.shtml
  4. ↑ Darnell Coles Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  5. ↑ Paul Molitor Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/taylobi04.shtml
  7. ↑ Dave Stewart Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  8. ↑ Kelly Gruber Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  9. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/coxda01.shtml
  10. ↑ Dick Schofield Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
  11. ↑ Blue Jays Timeline BlueJays.com. Accessed on July 27, 2012.
  12. ↑ 1893 National League Batting Leaders Baseball-Reference.com. Accessed on July 27, 2012.
  13. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/canatwi01.shtml
  14. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/dayleke01.shtml
  15. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bailesc01.shtm
  16. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/carpech01.shtml
  17. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/f/fernato01.shtml
  18. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lintodo01.shtml
  19. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/st.clra01.shtml
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TOR/1993.shtml
  21. ↑ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_hut.shtml
  22. ↑ Blue Jays All-Stars | bluejays.com: History
  23. ↑ "1993 Toronto Blue Jays". http://oshof.ca/''. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  24. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links