1989 Toronto Blue Jays (est. 1977)
 

Expansion Jays! 63-99 - WS - New York Mets over Minnesota Twins

1978 69-93 - WS - Cincinnati Reds over Detroit Tigers

1979 94-68 - WS - Texas Rangers over Cincinnati Reds

1980 97-66 (Lost a tiebreaker game to Detroit) - WS - Detroit Tigers over Cincinnati Reds

1981 89-73 - WS - Pittsburgh Pirates over Detroit Tigers

1982 98-64 - WS - Detroit Tigers over Pittsburgh Pirates

1983 104-58 (Lost ALCS to Oakland 3-1) - WS - Oakland Athletics over St.Louis Cardinals

1984 114-48 (Beat Kansas City in ALCS 4-0) - WS - Los Angeles Dodgers over Toronto Blue Jays (4 games to 1)

1985 123-39 (Record for wins) (Beat Kansas City in ALCS 4-0) - WS - Toronto Blue Jays over Chicago Cubs (4 games to 2)

1986 122-40 (Beat Kansas City in ALCS 4-1) - WS - Toronto Blue Jays over Pittsburgh Pirates (4 games to 2)

1987 115-47 - (Lost ALCS 4-0 to Texas) - WS - Philadelphia Phillies over Texas Rangers (4 games to 1)

1988 86-76 - (Lost ALCS 4-2 to Angels) - WS - St. Louis Cardinals over California Angels (4 games to 2)

Major Offseason Losses

Ken Phelps (FA)
Pete O'Brien (FA)
Pedro Soto (Trade to SD)
David Wells (Trade to SD)

Major Offseason Additions

Orel Hershiser (Trade from SD)
David Green (FA)
Tom Henke (FA)

February 27th, 1989

The Jay opened their spring schedule with a disappointing outing for Nolan Ryan and a 10th inning loss to the Mariners, falling 7-6.

Spike Owen hit the first Toronto home run of the spring.

WP - Artie Reilly (1-0)
Save - Duane Ward (1)
LP - Shane Simmons (0-1)

Spring Record - 0-1

February 28th, 1989

Orel Hershiser allowed only two hits in five scoreless innings as the Jays downed the Tigers 6-1.

WP - Orel Hershiser (1-0)
LP - Mario Cantu (0-1)

Spring Record - 1-1

March 1st, 1989

This was the first meeting of the Blue Jays and the Angels since Toronto was defeated in the ALCS last year, and today went no better. California won 9-4.

WP - Fernando Farias (1-0)
LP - Jim Kane (0-1)

Spring Record - 1-2

March 2nd, 1989

Dave Stieb and four relievers combined to shut out the Rangers, 4-0, on only three hits.

WP - Dave Stieb (1-0)
LP - Troy Hughes (0-1)

Spring Record - 2-2

March 3rd, 1989

Howard Richmond pitched five no-hit innings. The bullpen was not so successful. The A's beat the Jays 9-6.

Joseph Prost, Ramiro Garcia, and Rickey Henderson all homered for Toronto.

WP - Gerardo Arroyo (1-0)
Save - David Lewis (1)
LP - Lee Guetterman (0-1)

Spring Record - 2-3

March 4th, 1989

David West did nothing to show he is ready for the Majors and Cleveland tagged him for 9 runs in under 5 innings. The Jays lost 9-4.

WP - Oscar Escamilla (1-1)
LP - David West (0-1)

Spring Record - 2-4

March 5th, 1989

Nolan Ryan pitched much better in his second outing as the Jays beat the Yankees 6-5.

WP - Marvin Wagner (1-0)
Save - Anthony Peterson (1)
LP - Jason Powell (0-1)

Spring Record - 3-4

March 6th, 1989

The Twins had Toronto's number today, blanking them 5-0..

WP - Carlos Sanchez (1-0)
LP - Orel Hershiser (1-1)

Spring Record - 3-5

March 7th, 1989

Ryne Sandberg got the walk-off in the most dramatic way possible - hitting a Grand Slam to send the Jays to an 8-7 win over the Orioles.

WP - Michael Hickman (1-0)
LP - Jose Medine (0-1)

Spring Record - 4-5

March 8th, 1989

Sam Wilson homered and crossed the plate four times as the Jays beat the Brewers 7-2.

WP - Dave Stieb (2-0)
LP - Alonso Barron (0-1)

Spring Record - 5-5

First Round of Spring Cuts

Sent to Minor League Camp:

David West
Lee Guetterman
Mike Harkey
Michael Hickman
Jose Alfonso

Placed on Waivers:

Dave Lieper

March 9th, 1989

Shane Simmons got a go in the rotation and he pitched very well, but the bullpen did not. Eventually the Jays fell 7-6 to the Royals.

Ryne Sandberg hit his 2nd spring homer.

WP - Rick Mahler (1-0)
Save - Dave Smith (2)
LP - Alfonso Dominguez (0-1)

Spring Record - 5-6

March 10th, 1989

The Blue Jays lost a close one, falling 7-6 to the White Sox.

WP - Jeff Gray (1-0)
Save - Mark Williamson (2)
LP - Don McKinley (0-1)

Spring Record - 5-7

March 12th, 1989

The Blue Jays staged a valiant comeback in the 9th but still fell short, losing 9-7 to the Red Sox.

WP - Mike Moore (1-1)
Save - Roger McDowell (3)
LP - Orel Hershiser (1-2)

Spring Record - 5-8

March 13th, 1989

Mike Marshall homered in a losing cause as the Jays fell 5-3 to the Mariners.

Jorge Ortiz left the game with a sore back.

WP - Pete Smith (1-0)
Save - Duane Ward (3)
LP - Jim Kane (0-2)

Spring Record - 5-9

Jorge Ortiz will miss up to a week with a stiff back.

March 14th, 1989

A great outing by Dave Stieb set the tone as the Blue Jays beat the Tigers 6-1.

WP - Dave Stieb (3-0)
LP - Roger Bland (0-1)

Spring Record - 6-9

March 15th, 1988

Robinson Lopez had his first start of the Spring and it went well, with a 5-3 victory over the Angels.

Mike Marshall hit his second spring homer.

WP - Robinson Lopez (1-0)
Save - Marvin Wagner (1)
LP - Steve Crawford (1-1)

Spring Record - 7-9

March 16th, 1989

The Jays fell behind the Rangers early and couldn't catch up. They lost 6-3.

Rickey Henderson homered for Toronto.

WP - Dan Lewis (2-1)
LP - Shane Simmons (0-2)

Spring Record - 7-10

March 17th, 1989

A two run single by Ryne Sandberg in the 14th inning finally sent this game to a conclusion as the Jays beat the A's 6-4.

WP - Jim Acker (1-0)
LP - Shawn Hillegas (0-1)

Spring Record - 8-10

March 18th, 1989

The Blue Jays were unable to score until Cleveland walked in a run in the 9th. The Indians won 5-1.

Rickey Henderson left the game with a sore knee. Obviously that is concerning for someone with his skillset. We are giving him most of the week off to let it recover.

WP - Jim Deshaies (1-0)
Save - Norm Charlton (4)
LP - Orel Hershiser (1-3)

Spring Record - 8-11

March 19th, 1988

Spike Owen hit a huge Grand Slam but the Jays still lost, falling 5-4 in walk-off style to the Yankees.

WP - John Franco (1-0)
LP - Yasushi Taguchi (0-1)

Spring Record - 8-12

Second round of Spring Cuts

Sent to Minor League Camp

Art Powell
Jorge Ortiz
Alfonso Dominguez
Jim Kane (!)
Don McKinley
Ricky Jordan


TRADE

To ANGELS

David Green
Rafael Vazquez
Dan Roberts

To BLUE JAYS

Michael Klinger
Steve Crawford
Mark Irwin
Gabe Alexander
Ray Brooks

Klinger joins the big league camp.

A couple of notes: Kane just doesn't seem the same since his troubles in the post-sason last year. Hopefully a stint in the minors can turn things around for him.

As for Green, yes we just signed him but that was in case Ricky Jordan wasn't ready. Which he isn't. BUT, Mike Marshall has been really effective as a Rule 5 pick-up. So it seemed smart to convert Green into a patch for another area of the team, hence the return of Klinger.

March 20th, 1989

The Toronto bullpen was quite off today, giving up an 8-3 win to the Twins.

WP - Terry Leach (1-1)
Save - Valentin Flores (1)
LP - Yasushi Taguchi (0-2)

Spring Record - 8-13

March 21st, 1989

Robinson Lopez pitched five shutout innings. The bullpen was less effective but a 10th inning homer by Mike Marshall gave the Blue Jays a 5-3 win over the Orioles.

Juan Romano also homered for Toronto.

Paul Molitor left the game with a strained muscle. It is expected that he will take games off for the next week.

WP - Anthony Peterson (1-0)
Save - Rafael Perez (1)
LP - Jose Medine (0-2)

Spring Record - 9-13

Jose Rico is brought up from the minor league complex to fill in while Molitor is out.

March 22nd, 1989

The only run of the game was scored in the 9th, but that was all it took for the Brewers to beat the Blue Jays 1-0.

WP - Oliver Trent (1-1)
Save - Juan Lemus (1)
LP - Greg Cadaret (0-1)

Spring Record - 9-14

March 23rd, 1989

For the second straight day the Blue Jays were she tout, but instead o fight, tense game like yesterday, today the Royals demolished them 12-0.

WP - Santiago Orozco (1-0)
Save - Tom Fisher (1)
LP - Shane Simmons (0-3)

Spring Record - 9-15

March 25th, 1989

Not only did the Blue Jays get thumped 9-1 by the White Sox, but Ramiro Garcia left the game after a collision on the bases. He was being counted on to be the primary utility man for the Toronto infield so that would be a big loss if it is serious.

WP - Teddy Higuera (2-2)
LP - Nolan Ryan (0-1)

Spring Record - 9-16

Ramiro Garcia has a hamstring strain. He will miss the start of the season, but not too much of it.

Fred Turner has been called up from the minor league camp.

March 26th, 1989

Orel Hershiser pitched well but it took a late push by the Jays to overcome the Red Sox, beating them 6-3.

WP - Greg Cadaret (1-1)
LP - Roger McDowell (1-1)

Spring Record - 10-16

March 27th, 1989

Jim Acker pitched five PERFECT innings in relief until Junior Felix got the walk-off, RBI single in the 10th to give the Jays a 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Mike Marshall hit his 4th spring homer.

WP - Jim Acker (2-0)
LP - Duane Ward (0-2)

Spring Record - 11-16

March 28th, 1989

Another terrible day in what has been a pretty awful spring training for the Blue Jays. Today they lost 9-0 to the Tigers.

WP - Mario Cantu (3-1)
Save - Chris Jones (2)
LP - Robinson Lopez (1-1)

Spring Record - 11-17

March 29th, 1989

When Spring Training started, Howard Richmond was not in consideration for a rotation spot, but now he has pitched 15 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits. He is a lock.

Today the Blue Jays beat the Angels 6-0.

Juan Romano and Paul Molitor homered for Toronto.

WP - Howard Richmond (1-0)
LP - Rod Nichols (0-2)

Spring Record - 12-17

March 30th, 1989

In competition for the final rotation spot, Shane Simmons may have put himself back in contention, leading the Blue Jays to a 5-3 win over the Rangers in their final spring outing,

Paul Molitor homered for Toronto.

WP - Shane Simmons (1-3)
Save - Laurent Dupuis (1)
LP - Troy Hughes (2-2)

FINAL SPRING RECORD - 13-17

FINAL SPRING CUTS

Sent to minor league camp:

Jim Acker
Rick Nelson
Yasushi Taguchi
Laurent Dupuis
Marvin Wagner
Jose Rico
Cameron Washington
Ramiro Gonzalez

Designated for Assignment:

Robinson Lopez, Don McKinley

Barry Jones, Greg Cadaret and Fred Turner are added to the 40-man

Ron Hassey and Chris Shawver signed minor league contracts.

The owner wants us to play .500 ball. My goals are somewhat higher than that.

The experts have us winning the AL East with a 91-71 record, 5 games ahead of the Yankees.

The other division winners are predicted to be the Angels, Cardinals, and Braves.

Top AL Hitter: Darryl Strawberry, Royals (Paul Molitor is 8th)
Top AL Pitcher: Mark Langston, Royals (Nolan Ryan is 8th)

Top NL Hitter: Barry Bonds, Cardinals
Top NL Pitcher: Bret Saberhagen, Astros

The Top 100 Prospects list was published and the Blue Jays have nobody on it.

They are 25th out of 26 Minor League systems.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS 1989 OPENING DAY ROSTER

ROTATION

Nolan Ryan
Orel Hershiser
Dave Stieb
Howard Richmond
Shane Simmons

BULLPEN

Tom Henke (C)
Michael Klinger
Barry Jones
Greg Cadaret
Rafael Perez
Antonio Gonzalez
Anthony Peterson

LINEUP

Paul Molitor - 3B
Junior Felix - RF
Rickey Henderson - DH
Ryne Sandberg - 2B
Joseph Prost - LF
Sam Wilson - CF
Mauro Morin - C
Spike Owen - SS
Mike Marshall - 1B

BENCH

Jose Correa - C
Fred Turner - IF
Eduardo Estrada - OF
Juan Romano - OF

DL - Ramiro Garcia - 2 weeks

TRADE

To METS

Don McKinley

To BLUE JAYS

Rob Warren
Flynn Holman
Evan Woodward
Steve Williams
Joe Bailey

All are minor leaguers and marginal prospects.

April 3rd, 1989

Nolan Ryan's spring struggles carried over to Opening Day as he only lasted two innings in Toronto's 9-3 loss to the Royals.

Ryne Sandberg hit the first Blue Jays home run of the year.

WP - Mark Langston (1-0)
LP - Nolan Ryan (0-1)

Record - 0-1

April 5th, 1988

Another rough day for a Toronto starter, though this game ended up much closer. In the end the Jays still lost, falling 9-8 to the Royals.

WP - Rick Honeycutt (1-0)
Save - Dave Smith (1)
LP - Greg Cadaret (0-1)

Record - 0-2

April 6th, 1989

Ryne Sandberg hit for the cycle! His home run was joined by dingers by Junior Felix, Spike Owen, and Mauro Morin as the Jays outpowered the Royals, beating them 10-4.

WP - Dave Stieb (1-0)
LP - Miguel Campos (0-1)

Record - 1-2

April 7th, 1989

Tom Henke got his first action of the season as he nailed down a 9-7 win for the Blue Jays over the Rangers.

WP - Howard Richmond (1-0)
Save - Tom Henke (1)
LP - Danny Jackson (0-1)

Record - 2-2

April 8th, 1989

It was another tough day for Nolan Ryan as he tied the team record by walking eight batters in the game. The Rangers beat the Blue Jays 6-3.

Paul Molitor hit his first homer of the year.

WP - Tucker Garland (1-0)
Save - Dan Quisenberry (1)
LP - Nolan Ryan (0-2)

Record - 2-3

April 9th, 1989

Greg Maddux was too sharp for the Blue Jays today as they fell 3-1 to the Rangers.

Sam Wilson hit his first homer of the year.

WP - Greg Maddux (1-0)
Save - Dan Quisenberry (2)
LP - Shane Simmons (0-1)

Record - 2-4

April 10th, 1989

Bob Ojeda hasn't given up an earned run yet this year, and Toronto fared no better, falling 8-0 to the Yankees.

WP - Bob Ojeda (1-1)
LP - Orel Hershiser (0-1)

Record - 2-5

April 11th, 1989

The rough early going for the Blue Jays continues as they lost 8-2 to the Yankees.

Sam Wilson hit his second homer of the young season.

WP - Ed Whitson (2-0)
LP - Dave Stieb (1-1)

Record - 2-6