2007 Toronto Blue Jays season

2007 Toronto Blue Jays
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record 83–79 (.512)
Divisional place 3rd
Other information
Owner(s) Rogers; Paul Godfrey (CEO)
General manager(s) J. P. Ricciardi
Manager(s) John Gibbons
Local television Rogers Sportsnet
(Jamie Campbell, Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks, Darrin Fletcher, Sam Cosentino (field reporter)) (116 games) TSN
(Rod Black, Pat Tabler) (20 games)
CBC
(Jim Hughson, Rance Mulliniks, Jesse Barfield) (8 games)
Local radio 590 AM
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The 2007 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's thirty-first season of Major League Baseball. The Blue Jays tried to improve on their 87-win 2006 season, hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

In the offseason, the Jays signed All Star outfielder Vernon Wells to one of the richest contracts in MLB history, giving him a seven-year contract worth $126 million.[1] Toronto also extended the contract of first baseman Lyle Overbay,[2] and signed veteran designated hitter Frank Thomas. To offset the loss of starter Ted Lilly to the Chicago Cubs, Toronto signed Japanese pitcher Tomo Ohka and former Atlanta starter John Thomson to one-year contracts and inked former New York Mets hurler Víctor Zambrano to a minor-league deal. All three men, however, were eventually designated for assignment and released. The Jays also picked up infielder Jason Smith from the Rule 5 draft, but he too was released from his contract.

Regular season

Summary

During the month of January, Toronto signed starting pitchers John Thomson and then Tomo Ohka to incentive-based one-year contracts in an effort to strengthen their 4th and 5th rotational slots. On January 30 Toronto also signed starting pitcher Víctor Zambrano to a minor league contract, and invited him to Spring training. All three were eventually released. When Brandon League, who was being considered for the main setup role, arrived to Spring training with a strained lat muscle, Zambrano took the empty spot in the bullpen. Thomson injured himself in spring training, so the Blue Jays named Ohka and Towers as their fourth and fifth starters. After four mediocre starts, Josh Towers was sent to the bullpen and replaced by Dustin McGowan. Towers returned to the rotation later in the year replacing released pitcher Tomo Ohka. When Gustavo Chacín was injured, he was replaced in the rotation by Shaun Marcum, who had a breakout year.

The season was blighted by persistent injuries, with 12 Blue Jays landing on the DL. The most serious injury was that of B. J. Ryan, who was out for the entire season having had Tommy John Surgery. However, due to the emergence of young pitchers like Dustin McGowan, Casey Janssen and Jeremy Accardo, the Jays finished 4 games above .500.

One of the most memorable games this season for the Jays was on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 when they rallied from being down 11–6 in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to win 12–11 on an RBI walk-off base on balls by Aaron Hill, a victory that moved them to within 1 game under .500

Another memorable moment of this season was Dustin McGowan's complete game one-hitter on Sunday, June 24 against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre. McGowan carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning when outfielder Jeff Baker hit a single with no out to break it up. This was the first Jays' one-hitter since September 27, 1998, in which Roy Halladay threw against the Detroit Tigers. The Jays won 5–0 and moved themselves up to .500 for the first time since May 1 of the season. The game was also notable for Frank Thomas hitting the 499th home run of his career. The day after McGowan's gem, the Jays defeated the Minnesota Twins 8–5 to climb over the .500 mark for the first time since April and get their first four-game winning streak of the season.

On June 28, Frank Thomas became the 21st Major Leaguer to hit 500 career home runs. The pitcher who surrendered the homer was Minnesota Twins' starter Carlos Silva. Despite jumping out to an early lead the Jays couldn't hold on and ended up losing 8–5. In addition, Thomas was ejected from the game in the ninth inning by home plate umpire Mark Wegner for arguing balls and strikes.

On July 6, Reed Johnson returned to the lineup after spending three months on the DL. Johnson had been suffering back problems early in the season and received surgery, which forced him onto the 60-Day DL. This situation left Adam Lind the odd-man out in the lineup and he was optioned down to Triple-A. In his first game back Johnson went 1–3 at the plate, and made a game-saving catch in the ninth which prevented two runs (only one run scored on a sac-fly) from scoring and a runner on second (possibly third) and a one-run lead with only one out. The Jays won the game 8–6 against the Cleveland Indians.

On September 16, Aaron Hill broke the Blue Jays club record for most doubles by a second baseman in one season, set by Roberto Alomar in 1991 with 41 doubles that season. Hill recorded his 42nd double of the season against the Baltimore Orioles.

On September 17, Frank Thomas hit three home runs in a game for only the second time in his career, both times against the Boston Red Sox.

Season standings

AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
Boston Red Sox 96 66 0.593 — 51–30 45–36
New York Yankees 94 68 0.580 2 52–29 42–39
Toronto Blue Jays 83 79 0.512 13 49–32 34–47
Baltimore Orioles 69 93 0.426 27 35–46 34–47
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 66 96 0.407 30 37–44 29–52

Detailed record

Team Home Away Total Gms Left
AL East
Baltimore Orioles 6-3 4-5 10-8 -
Boston Red Sox 4-5 5-4 9-9 -
New York Yankees 4-5 4-5 8-10 -
Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 4-5 9-9 -
19-17 17-19 36-36 -
AL Central
Chicago White Sox 3-1 1-2 4-3 -
Cleveland Indians 2-1 0-3 2-4 -
Detroit Tigers 2-2 1-2 3-4 -
Kansas City Royals 2-1 2-2 4-3 -
Minnesota Twins 3-0 3-4 6-4 -
12-5 7-13 19-18 -
AL West
Los Angeles Angels 2-1 2-2 4-3 -
Oakland Athletics 0-3 4-2 4-5 -
Seattle Mariners 5-1 0-3 5-4 -
Texas Rangers 5-2 0-3 5-5 -
12-7 6-10 18-17 -
National League
Colorado Rockies 3-0 N/A 3-0 -
Los Angeles Dodgers 1-2 2-1 3-3 -
Philadelphia Phillies N/A 1-2 1-2 -
San Francisco Giants N/A 1-2 1-2 -
Washington Nationals 2-1 N/A 2-1 -
6-3 4-5 10-8 -
Month Games Won Lost
April 25 13 12
May 28 12 16
June 27 14 13
July 26 14 12
August 28 15 13
September 28 15 13
162 83 79

Record vs. opponents

2007 American League Records

Sources:

Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC LAA MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL 
Baltimore — 6–12 5–3 3–4 1–5 7–0 3–7 0–7 9–9 4–4 2–7 11–7 4–6 8–10 6–12
Boston 12–6 — 7–1 5–2 3–4 3–3 6–4 4–3 8–10 4–4 4–5 13–5 6–4 9–9 12–6
Chicago 3–5 1–7 — 7–11 11–7 12–6 5–4 9–9 4–6 4–5 1–7 6–1 2–4 3–4 4–14
Cleveland 4–3 2–5 11–7 — 12–6 11–7 5–5 14–4 0–6 6–4 4–3 8–2 6–3 4–2 9–9
Detroit 5–1 4–3 7–11 6–12 — 11–7 3–5 12–6 4–4 4–6 6–4 3–4 5–4 4–3 14–4
Kansas City 0–7 3–3 6–12 7–11 7–11 — 5–2 9–9 1–9 6–4 3–6 4–3 5–4 3–4 10–8
Los Angeles 7–3 4–6 4–5 5–5 5–3 2–5 — 6–3 6–3 9–10 13–6 6–2 10–9 3–4 14–4
Minnesota 7–0 3–4 9–9 4–14 6–12 9–9 3–6 — 2–5 5–2 6–3 3–4 7–2 4–6 11–7
New York 9–9 10–8 6–4 6–0 4–4 9–1 3–6 5–2 — 2–4 5–5 10–8 5–1 10–8 10–8
Oakland 4–4 4–4 5–4 4–6 6–4 4–6 10–9 2–5 4–2 — 5–14 4–6 9–10 5–4 10–8
Seattle 7–2 5–4 7–1 3–4 4–6 6–3 6–13 3–6 5–5 14–5 — 4–3 11–8 4–5 9–9
Tampa Bay 7–11 5–13 1–6 2–8 4–3 3–4 2–6 4–3 8–10 6–4 3–4 — 5–4 9–9 7–11
Texas 6–4 4–6 4–2 3–6 4–5 4–5 9–10 2–7 1–5 10–9 8–11 4–5 — 5–5 11–7
Toronto 10–8 9–9 4–3 2–4 3–4 4–3 4–3 6–4 8–10 4–5 5–4 9–9 5–5 — 10–8

2007 Draft picks

Source [3]

The 2007 MLB Draft was held on June 7–8. The Blue Jays had two first round picks, along with five compensation picks.

Round Pick Player Position College/School Nationality Signed
1 16* Kevin Ahrens 3B Memorial High School (TX) United States 2007–06–15
1 21 J. P. Arencibia C Tennessee United States 2007–06–15
C-A 38* Brett Cecil LHP Maryland United States 2007–06–15
C-A 45* Justin Jackson SS Roberson High School (NC) United States 2007–07–07
C-A 56* Trystan Magnuson RHP Louisville Canada 2007–07–07
2 85 John Tolisano 2B Estero High School (FL) United States 2007–06–15
2 88* Eric Eiland OF Lamar High School (TX) United States 2007–06–15
3 115 Alan Farina RHP Clemson United States 2007–07–07
4 145 Brad Mills LHP Arizona United States 2007–06–15
5 175 Marc Rzepczynski LHP Cal-Riverside United States 2007–06–15
6 205 Mike McDade 1B Silverado High School (NV) United States 2007–06–12
7 235 Randy Boone RHP Texas United States –
8 265 Scott Leffler RHP Tampa United States 2007–07–07
9 295 Marcus Walden RHP Fresno City College United States 2007–06–12
10 325 Joel Collins C South Alabama Canada 2007–06–15

Roster

2007 Toronto Blue Jays
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Game log

2007 game log
April
May
June
July
August
September

Player stats

Batting

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

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI R SB
Aaron Hill 160 608 177 .291 17 78 87 4
Lyle Overbay 122 425 102 .240 10 44 49 2
Alex Ríos 161 643 191 .297 24 85 114 17
Frank Thomas 155 531 147 .277 26 95 63 0
Vernon Wells 149 584 143 .245 16 80 85 10

As of September 30, 2007

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; QS = Quality starts

Player GS IP W L ERA BB SO
A. J. Burnett 19 121.2 7 7 3.70 42 119
Gustavo Chacín 5 27.1 2 1 5.60 7 11
Roy Halladay 26 186 14 6 3.87 42 119
Jesse Litsch 14 79.1 5 6 3.40 26 33
Shaun Marcum* 20 119.2 10 3 3.32 31 84
Dustin McGowan 21 129.1 8 8 4.18 48 103
Tomo Ohka ^ 10 56.0 2 5 5.79 22 21
Ty Taubenheim 1 5.0 0 0 9.00 4 4
Josh Towers* 15 85.1 4 9 5.29 19 58
Víctor Zambrano* 2 5.1 0 1 16.88 5 1

As of August 29, 2007

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Loses; SV = Saves; H = Holds; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L SV H ERA BB SO
Jeremy Accardo 25 26.2 1 1 7 1 2.36 10 26
Jordan De Jong 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 9.00 2 4
Scott Downs 31 23.2 1 1 0 6 3.42 17 28
Jason Frasor 22 26.1 2 2 2 3 3.76 11 27
Casey Janssen 27 33.0 2 0 3 9 1.09 6 12
Shaun Marcum** 13 16.1 1 2 1 1 6.06 6 22
B. J. Ryan 5 4.1 0 2 3 0 12.46 4 3
Brian Tallet 16 25.0 2 1 0 0 1.80 12 20
Josh Towers** 6 13.2 1 0 0 0 5.93 1 12
Jamie Vermilyea 2 6.0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 2
Brian Wolfe 4 3.1 0 0 0 0 5.40 1 1
Víctor Zambrano** 6 5.1 0 1 0 0 5.06 6 4

As of June 10, 2007

Draft

This is a partial list. For the full draft, see here.

Players Selected

Round Pick Player Nationality School
1 16 (for Frank Catalanotto) Kevin Ahrens (SS)  United States Memorial High School
1 21 J. P. Arencibia (C)  United States Tennessee
C-A 38 (for Justin Speier) Brett Cecil (LHP)  United States Maryland-College Park
C-A 45 (for Frank Catalanotto) Justin Jackson (SS)  United States T.C. Roberson High School
C-A 56 (for Ted Lilly) Trystan Magnuson (RHP)  Canada Louisville
2 85 John Tolisano (2B)  United States Estero High School
2 88 (for Justin Speier) Eric Eiland (CF)  United States Lamar High School
3 115 Alan Farina (RHP)  United States Clemson
4 145 Brad Mills (LHP)  United States Arizona
5 175 Marc Rzepczynski (LHP)  United States UC-Riverside

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Syracuse Chiefs International League Doug Davis
AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats Eastern League Bill Masse
A Dunedin Blue Jays Florida State League Omar Malavé
A Lansing Lugnuts Midwest League Gary Cathcart
A-Short Season Auburn Doubledays New York–Penn League Dennis Holmberg
Rookie GCL Blue Jays Gulf Coast League Clayton McCullough

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Auburn

References

  • Game Logs:
1st Half: Toronto Blue Jays Game Log on ESPN.com
2nd Half: Toronto Blue Jays Game Log on ESPN.com
  1. ↑ Jays sign Wells to ,6 million, seven-year extension espn.com – accessed January 25, 2007
  2. ↑ Overbay latest player to cash in with Jays, from espn.com January 14, 2007
  3. ↑ "Feature: 2007 Free Agent Draft Pick Compensation". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
Preceded by
2006 Toronto Blue Jays season		 2007 Toronto Blue Jays Season
2007 		Succeeded by
2008 Toronto Blue Jays season
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