| 2003 Toronto Blue Jays | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | SkyDome | |||
| City | Toronto | |||
| Record | 86–76 (.531) | |||
| Divisional place | 3rd | |||
| Owners | Rogers;Paul Godfrey(CEO) | |||
| General managers | J. P. Ricciardi | |||
| Managers | Carlos Tosca | |||
| Television | The Sports Network (Pat Tabler,Rod Black) Rogers Sportsnet (Rob Faulds,Tom Candiotti,John Cerutti) | |||
| Radio | CJCL (AM) (Jerry Howarth,Tom Cheek) | |||
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The2003Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 27th season ofMajor League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing third in theAmerican League East with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses. It was the team's final season withDiamond as one of the mascots, as she was removed at the end of the season, leavingAce as the sole mascot of the Blue Jays.
Transactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 2003 season.[1]
| October 9 | ReleasedChris Carpenter. Brandon Lyon selected off of waivers by theBoston Red Sox. |
| October 15 | Joe Lawrence granted free agency (signed withMilwaukee Brewers to a contract on December 11, 2002). Brian Lesher granted free agency (signed withTampa Bay Devil Rays to a contract on December 18, 2002). Chad Mottola granted free agency (signed withTampa Bay Devil Rays to a contract on November 1, 2002). Luke Prokopec granted free agency (signed withLos Angeles Dodgers to a one-year, $390,000 contract on November 4, 2002). Pedro Swann granted free agency (signed withBaltimore Orioles to a one-year contract on February 3, 2003). Scott Winchester granted free agency (signed withLos Angeles Dodgers to a one-year contract on January 29, 2003). |
| October 23 | Signed free agentDoug Linton from theAtlanta Braves to a one-year, $350,000 contract. |
| October 28 | Félix Heredia granted free agency (signed withCincinnati Reds to a one-year, $600,000 contract on January 7, 2003). Steve Parris granted free agency (signed withTampa Bay Devil Rays to a one-year, $400,000 contract. |
| October 29 | Signed free agentDoug Creek from theSeattle Mariners to a one-year, $700,000 contract. Esteban Loaiza granted free agency (signed withChicago White Sox to a one-year, $500,000 contract on January 24, 2003). |
| November 1 | Signed free agentJeff Tam from theOakland Athletics to a one-year, $600,000 contract. |
| November 12 | Signed free agentHowie Clark from theBaltimore Orioles to a contract. |
| November 13 | Signed free agentTrever Miller from theCincinnati Reds to a one-year, $305,000 contract. |
| November 16 | AcquiredCory Lidle from theOakland Athletics forMike Rouse andChris Mowday. |
| November 17 | Signed free agentMike Moriarty from theBaltimore Orioles to a contract. |
| November 18 | Signed free agentRob Ryan from theBoston Red Sox to a contract. |
| November 19 | Signed free agentTim Young from theCleveland Indians to a contract. |
| November 24 | Signed free agentJosh Towers from theBaltimore Orioles to a contract. |
| December 5 | Signed free agentBruce Aven from thePhiladelphia Phillies to a one-year contract. |
| December 15 | As part of four-team trade: tradedFelipe López to theCincinnati Reds. Received a player to be named later from theOakland Athletics (Jason Arnold on December 16, 2002). In addition,Arizona Diamondbacks sentErubiel Durazo to theOakland Athletics; and theCincinnati Reds sentElmer Dessens and cash to theArizona Diamondbacks. Re-signedDave Berg to a two-year, $1.5 million contract. |
| December 16 | DraftedJason Dubois from theChicago Cubs in the 2002 MLBRule 5 draft. Matt Ford drafted by theMilwaukee Brewers in the 2002 MLBRule 5 draft. DraftedAquilino López from theSeattle Mariners in the 2002 MLBRule 5 draft. Frank Gracesqui selected by theFlorida Marlins in the 2002 Minor League Draft. DraftedGary Majewski from theChicago White Sox in the 2002 Minor League Draft. Signed free agentGreg Myers from theOakland Athletics to a one-year, $800,000 contract. |
| December 20 | Signed free agentMike Bordick from theBaltimore Orioles to a one-year, $1 million contract. |
| December 21 | José Cruz Jr. granted free agency (signed withSan Francisco Giants to a one-year, $2.5 million contract on January 28, 2003). Signed free agentTanyon Sturtze from theTampa Bay Devil Rays to a one-year, $1 million contract. |
| December 23 | Signed free agentMike Colangelo from theOakland Athletics to a one-year contract. |
| December 28 | Signed free agentFrank Catalanotto from theTexas Rangers to a one-year, $2.2 million contract. |
| January 15 | Re-signedChris Woodward to a one-year, $775,000 contract. |
| January 17 | Re-signedCliff Politte to a one-year, $845,000 contract. Re-signedRoy Halladay to a one-year, $3.8 million contract. |
| January 27 | AcquiredJohn-Ford Griffin from theOakland Athletics for a player to be named later (Jason Perry on June 23, 2003). |
| January 31 | Re-signedKelvim Escobar to a one-year, $3.9 million contract. |
| February 18 | Re-signedShannon Stewart to a one-year, $6.2 million contract. |
| March 11 | ReleasedPasqual Coco. |
| March 15 | ReturnedJason Dubois to theChicago Cubs. |
| March 17 | ReturnedGary Majewski to theChicago White Sox. Re-signedEric Hinske to a five-year, $14.75 million contract. Re-signedVernon Wells to a five-year, $14.7 million contract. |
| March 27 | Signed free agentDan Reichert from theTampa Bay Devil Rays to a one-year contract. |
| March 28 | SelectedKevin Frederick from theMinnesota Twins off of waivers. |
The 2003 season was a surprise to both team management and baseball analysts. After a poor April, the team had its most successful month ever in May. The offense was mainly responsible for the stunning turnaround. Delgado took over the major league lead in runs batted in, followed closely by Wells. The middle infield positions remained a gametime decision – Bordick played shortstop and third base,Dave Berg second base and third base,Chris Woodward shortstop andOrlando Hudson second base.Minor league call-upHowie Clark entered the mix as a utility player after Hinske underwent surgery to repair a brokenhamate bone in his right hand, which he had tried to play through for the first six weeks.
Despite their hitting successes, poor pitching continued to plague the team.Roy Halladay was spectacular in winning his firstCy Young Award, going 22–7, with a 3.25 ERA, but he didn't get much help from his fellow pitchers, although he had a poor start himself. RookieAquilino López was a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen.Kelvim Escobar and formerNBA playerMark Hendrickson were inserted into therotation with their places in thebullpen filled by waiver acquisitionsDoug Davis andJosh Towers, who went 8–1 after being called up from Triple-A Syracuse. The closer role was a season-long revolving door, with nobody able to take hold of the reins. Trade speculation had focussed on the acquisitions of pitching at the expense of hitters, but in the end the team simply divested itself of impending free agentShannon Stewart without getting a pitcher in return. InsteadBobby Kielty, another outfielder with a much lower batting average than Stewart's, was obtained from theMinnesota Twins and later traded in November 2003 to theOakland Athletics forstarterTed Lilly. The top four pitchers for the projected 2004rotation would include Halladay, Lilly,free agentMiguel Batista, and the return ofPat Hentgen.
After the spectacular turnaround in May 2003, which helped the team move to just few games behind the wildcard leadingBoston Red Sox, team performance slowly returned to reality, as predicted by team management. Carlos Delgado was second in the voting for theAmerican League MVP Award, although the Jays were in third place in their division. The Jays also announced that a new logo, and new uniforms, would be used as of January 1, 2004.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 101 | 61 | .623 | — | 50–32 | 51–29 |
| Boston Red Sox | 95 | 67 | .586 | 6 | 53–28 | 42–39 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 86 | 76 | .531 | 15 | 41–40 | 45–36 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 71 | 91 | .438 | 30 | 40–40 | 31–51 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 63 | 99 | .389 | 38 | 36–45 | 27–54 |
| Team | ANA | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim | — | 1–8 | 3–6 | 3–4 | 6–3 | 6–1 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 8–12 | 8–11 | 6–3 | 9–10 | 2–7 | 11–7 | ||
| Baltimore | 8–1 | — | 9–10 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 6–13–1 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 8–11 | 7–2 | 8–11 | 5–13 | ||
| Boston | 6–3 | 10–9 | — | 5–4 | 4–2 | 8–1 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 9–10 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 12–7 | 5–4 | 10–9 | 11–7 | ||
| Chicago | 4–3 | 4–2 | 4–5 | — | 11–8 | 11–8 | 11–8 | 9–10 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 6–3 | 10–8 | ||
| Cleveland | 3–6 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 8–11 | — | 12–7 | 6–13 | 9–10 | 2–5 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 5–2 | 4–5 | 2–4 | 6–12 | ||
| Detroit | 1–6 | 3–3 | 1–8 | 8–11 | 7–12 | — | 5–14 | 4–15 | 1–5 | 3–6 | 1–8 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 2–7 | 4–14 | ||
| Kansas City | 3–6 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 8–11 | 13–6 | 14–5 | — | 11–8 | 2–4 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 4–3 | 7–2 | 1–5 | 9–9 | ||
| Minnesota | 4–5 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 10–9 | 10–9 | 15–4 | 8–11 | — | 0–7 | 8–1 | 3–6 | 6–0 | 5–4 | 3–3 | 10–8 | ||
| New York | 6–3 | 13–6–1 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 5–2 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 7–0 | — | 3–6 | 5–4 | 14–5 | 4–5 | 10–9 | 13–5 | ||
| Oakland | 12–8 | 7–2 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 1–8 | 6–3 | — | 7–12 | 6–3 | 15–4 | 5–2 | 9–9 | ||
| Seattle | 11–8 | 5–4 | 2–5 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 12–7 | — | 4–5 | 10–10 | 3–4 | 10–8 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 3–6 | 11–8 | 7–12 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 0–6 | 5–14 | 3–6 | 5–4 | — | 3–6 | 11–8 | 3–15 | ||
| Texas | 10–9 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 6–1 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 4–15 | 10–10 | 6–3 | — | 5–4 | 4–14 | ||
| Toronto | 7–2 | 11–8 | 9–10 | 3–6 | 4–2 | 7–2 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 8–11 | 4–5 | — | 10–8 | ||
Transactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2003 regular season.[3]
| April 30 | Doug Davis selected off of waivers from theTexas Rangers. |
| June 12 | ReleasedTim Young. |
| June 16 | SelectedScott Service off of waivers from theArizona Diamondbacks. |
| June 17 | Signed free agentJuan Acevedo from theNew York Yankees to a contract. |
| June 19 | ReleasedRob Ryan. |
| June 20 | ReleasedMike Moriarty. |
| July 8 | AcquiredJohn Wasdin from thePittsburgh Pirates forRich Thompson. |
| July 11 | Doug Davis granted free agency (signed withMilwaukee Brewers to a contract on July 14, 2003). |
| July 16 | AcquiredBobby Kielty from theMinnesota Twins forShannon Stewart and a player to be named later (Dave Gassner on December 15, 2003). |
| July 30 | Signed amateur free agentLuis Pérez to a contract. |
| August 7 | Signed free agentAnthony Sanders from theChicago White Sox to a one-year contract. |
| August 9 | ReleasedJuan Acevedo. |
| August 10 | ReleasedScott Service. |
| September 5 | ReleasedJeff Tam. |
Source[4]
The2003 MLB draft was held on June 3–4.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College/School | Nationality | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Aaron Hill | SS | Louisiana State |  | 2003–06–17 |
| 2 | 50 | Josh Banks | RHP | Florida International | | 2003–06–04 |
| 3 | 80 | Shaun Marcum | RHP | Missouri State | | 2003–06–23 |
| 4 | 110 | Kurt Isenberg | LHP | James Madison | | – |
| 5 | 140 | Justin James | RHP | Missouri | | – |
| 6 | 170 | Christian Snavely | OF | Ohio State | | – |
| 7 | 200 | Danny Core | RHP | Florida Atlantic | | – |
| 8 | 230 | Chad Mulholland | RHP | Missouri State | | – |
| 9 | 260 | Jamie Vermilyea | RHP | New Mexico | | 2003–06–05 |
| 11 | 320 | Tom Mastny | RHP | Furman University |  | |
| 18 | 530 | Ryan Roberts | 3B | Texas | | 2003–06–05 |
| 2003 Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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April: 10–17 (Home: 4–9; Away: 6–8)
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May: 21–8 (Home: 9–4; Away: 12–4)
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June: 15–11 (Home: 9–5; Away: 6–6)
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July: 8–17 (Home: 3–11; Away: 5–6)
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August: 13–15 (Home: 4–6; Away: 9–9)
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September: 19–9 (Home: 12–4; Away: 7–5)
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| = Indicates team leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | Pos | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | Avg. | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Myers | C | 121 | 329 | 51 | 101 | 15 | 52 | .307 | 0 |
| Carlos Delgado | 1B | 161 | 570 | 117 | 172 | 42 | 145 | .302 | 0 |
| Orlando Hudson | 2B | 142 | 474 | 54 | 127 | 9 | 57 | .268 | 5 |
| Chris Woodward | SS | 104 | 349 | 49 | 91 | 7 | 45 | .261 | 1 |
| Eric Hinske | 3B | 124 | 449 | 74 | 109 | 12 | 63 | .243 | 12 |
| Shannon Stewart | LF | 71 | 303 | 47 | 89 | 7 | 35 | .294 | 1 |
| Vernon Wells | CF | 161 | 678 | 118 | 215 | 33 | 117 | .317 | 4 |
| Reed Johnson | RF | 114 | 412 | 79 | 121 | 10 | 52 | .294 | 5 |
| Josh Phelps | DH | 119 | 396 | 57 | 106 | 20 | 66 | .260 | 1 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average
| Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Catalanotto | 133 | 489 | 146 | 13 | 59 | .299 |
| Mike Bordick | 102 | 343 | 94 | 5 | 54 | .274 |
| Tom Wilson | 96 | 256 | 66 | 5 | 35 | .258 |
| Bobby Kielty | 62 | 189 | 44 | 4 | 25 | .233 |
| Dave Berg | 61 | 161 | 41 | 4 | 18 | .255 |
| Kevin Cash | 34 | 106 | 15 | 1 | 8 | .142 |
| Howie Clark | 38 | 70 | 25 | 0 | 7 | .357 |
| Jayson Werth | 26 | 48 | 10 | 2 | 10 | .208 |
| Ken Huckaby | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .182 |
Note: G = Games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Halladay | 36 | 266 | 22 | 7 | 3.25 | 204 |
| Cory Lidle | 31 | 192+2⁄3 | 12 | 15 | 5.75 | 112 |
| Mark Hendrickson | 30 | 158+1⁄3 | 9 | 9 | 5.51 | 76 |
| Pete Walker | 23 | 55+1⁄3 | 2 | 2 | 4.88 | 29 |
| Doug Davis | 12 | 54 | 4 | 6 | 5.00 | 25 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelvim Escobar | 41 | 180+1⁄3 | 13 | 9 | 4.29 | 159 |
| Tanyon Sturtze | 40 | 89+1⁄3 | 7 | 6 | 5.94 | 54 |
| Josh Towers | 14 | 64+1⁄3 | 8 | 1 | 4.48 | 42 |
| Corey Thurman | 6 | 15+1⁄3 | 1 | 1 | 6.46 | 11 |
| John Wasdin | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 23.40 | 5 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquilino López | 72 | 73+2⁄3 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 3.42 | 64 |
| Trever Miller | 79 | 52+2⁄3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4.61 | 44 |
| Cliff Politte | 54 | 49+1⁄3 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 5.66 | 40 |
| Jeff Tam | 44 | 44+2⁄3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5.64 | 26 |
| Jason Kershner | 40 | 54 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3.17 | 32 |
| Doug Creek | 21 | 13+2⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.29 | 11 |
| Dan Reichert | 15 | 16+1⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.06 | 13 |
| Scott Service | 15 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 17 |
| Juan Acevedo | 14 | 12+2⁄3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.26 | 9 |
| Doug Linton | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 7 |
| Brian Bowles | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.57 | 2 |
| Vinnie Chulk | 3 | 5+1⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.06 | 2 |