Wendel: The 1992 Blue Jays, Canada’s first World Series champion

From SABR member Tim Wendel at The National Pastime Museum on August 21, 2017:

Some teams become winners overnight—rising to the forefront with little warning expectation. The Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins in 1991, and the Boston Red Sox in 2013 come to mind—the top “worst-to-first” ball clubs.

But for other teams the rise to the top can be arduous and often disappointing. Until they secure a pennant or World Series title it remains an open question—will they ever do it? So it was a quarter century ago with the Toronto Blue Jays.

With a top-flight minor league system, as well as one of the most successful academies to take root in the Dominican Republic, the Blue Jays were regarded as one of the best organizations in the game. Beginning in the mid-1980s, they were regularly in the mix for a division title or even the American League pennant, but for an agonizing stretch the Jays weren’t able to get the job done.

Read the full article here: https://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/1992-toronto-blue-jays-become-first-canadians-claim-al-pennant-and-world-series



Originally published: August 21, 2017. Last Updated: August 21, 2017.