With another opening day around the corner, jonahkeri looks back at the most auspicious home openers in BlueJays history.
The Jays carried high hopes into the 1992 season, having won two of the previous three AL East crowns, only to fall short in the ALCS each time. This time, the team was fortified by the acquisition of future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who opened the season as Toronto’s cleanup hitter. Still, the core of the team that would go on to win the first World Series in franchise history was already in place in ‘91.
Things looked grim at the start, as the Orioles touched Jays starter Jimmy Key for three runs in the top of the first. That would be it for Baltimore, though, as the O’s failed to score in the next eight innings off Key and reliever Pat Hentgen. The offence took time to come alive, though. After a John Olerud sacrifice fly narrowed Baltimore’s lead to 3-1, the Jays failed to score in each of the next five innings.
Then came the heroics in the bottom of the ninth. With one out in the ninth, Borders homered to left-centre to tie the game at three, foreshadowing the post-season heroics that would earn him World Series MVP that fall. Then with two outs in the ninth,The Blue Jays had just celebrated their first World Series title the previous fall. Time for a coronation.
More than just a simple ring ceremony, this home opener would help cement the Jays of this era as one of the biggest powers in baseball history. Not satisfied with winning one World Series, GM Pat Gillick went shopping, acquiring Dave Stewart and Molitor in the off-season, then Rickey Henderson at that year’s trade deadline.
The additions of Molitor and later Henderson added to an already formidable offence, and that offence was in full swing for the opener. After blowing a five-run lead in the middle innings, the Jays stormed back with four in the seventh and two in the eighth, on their way to a 13-10 win over Cleveland. Every member of the starting nine delivered at least one hit, with Sprague going 4-for-5 with a homer and four runs batted in.
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