Foreword: 1992 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays, by Dave Winfield
This article was written by Dave Winfield
This article was published in We Are, We Can, We Will: The 1992 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays
I have my own inside perspective of the historic 1992 Blue Jays season: the players, their individual contributions, the highs and lows, injuries and health, personal interactions with other players, and the eventual outcome.
For me, the year started with unprecedented optimism. I departed the California Angels for the Blue Jays, who’d been on the cusp of winning for a few years. Just as important, I was called to a team with a manager who I’d known for almost 20 years from my days in San Diego. As hard as I played for nearly two decades and three other teams, I hadn’t reached the mountaintop … This, I felt, was my chance. It could be fun, energizing, and the biggest baseball opportunity I’d had in a decade.
My arrival was met with enthusiasm by the team, management, and media. However, it was second perhaps to the arrival of Jack Morris from Minnesota, who’d come off some legendary pitching over his career and more recently in World Series play.
To me, other than the 162-game regular season, three dominant elements emerged from this first World Championship. For the Toronto Blue Jays and the entire country of Canada, this dream came true because of a confluence of elements: veteran leadership, team chemistry, and the insatiable urge and contributions by the populace and fans to finally get that first World Championship. After coming so close for years, the fan support extended far beyond the city limits and the province of Ontario. It was an entire country that we played for, became connected with, and were supported by.
We opened the season with a bang, winning from start to finish. We were girded by both visible and tangible layers of experience and confidence. Notable contributions came from rookies, journeymen, veterans, and a few future Hall of Famers. The mission to go all the way was palpable from the start.
From day one, I was in the lineup as the DH. Cito Gaston allowed me to play almost every day. I ended up playing 156 games at age 40, with 26 of those in the outfield. I felt very comfortable and involved with the mix, as we contemplated readiness for postseason play. Those additional starts in the outfield proved beneficial because it helped me with production and my relationship with all of the players; being able to exert and demonstrate leadership not only on offense, but defense as well.
That year was the most fun I ever had as a player. The team camaraderie, the sold-out stadium every game, rain or shine, dome open or closed. The 4,000,000 plus fans in 1992 set an all-time record for attendance by a major-league club at the time.
“Winfield Wants Noise” became the motto as we entered postseason play, developed after an interview I’d given. I pointed out that to get a home-field advantage, our fans would have to make noise to make it happen and do it not only after action was initiated or achievement attained. The public and media jumped on that, and we immediately, arguably, became the loudest home field in the playoffs and World Series. We saw placards with “Winfield for Prime Minister” as a result, dotting the outfield seats. Man, I got a kick out of that. What an environment! What fans! What a culture and what a city! World class in all the aforementioned areas.
Being born on October 3, 1951, when the Shot Heard ‘Round the World was hit (“The Giants win the Pennant … The Giants win the Pennant,”) or having the name “Win-Field”, hadn’t taken me across the finish line yet.
It took 19 years of play for me to get to that mountaintop. I played with all kinds of combinations of players and managers. I ended up playing for six teams, in both leagues, on both coasts and in both countries. There were a number of years we hoped we could win it all, but we didn’t.
In conclusion, Toronto brought me the highest honor of my professional career at the time, a World Championship. I had achieved individual goals to that point, but that team win stands above all of those. My ring is proof that hard work, commitment, and never giving up on one’s goals pays off. I completed a trifecta, if you will; I’d now won at every level during my sports career. Not many people can say that.
Upon retirement and selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, I have always felt 1992 cinched a complete career for me. That’s what Toronto, Canada and the Blue Jays organization mean to me. When I reflect on this prestigious achievement, this was the first ever World Championship outside of hockey for Canadians. It cemented the belief that baseball belongs and thrives north of the border. I kid my family and colleagues, “I don’t need a passport to go North.”
This one year was a huge part of my 22 years of professional play and a commitment to excellence to being the best player, contributor, and teammate I could be. The 1992 Blue Jays journey was one I’ll never forget. That team will go down as winners and champions in the annals of not only Canadian sports history, but for all of major-league baseball.
— Dave Winfield
January 2022