| 1996 Toronto Blue Jays | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | SkyDome | |||
| City | Toronto | |||
| Record | 74–88 (.457) | |||
| Divisional place | 4th | |||
| Owners | Interbrew, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | |||
| General managers | Gord Ash | |||
| Managers | Cito Gaston | |||
| Television | CBC Television (Brian Williams,Tommy Hutton) Baton (Don Chevrier,Tommy Hutton,Fergie Olver) The Sports Network (Dan Shulman,Buck Martinez) | |||
| Radio | CJCL (AM) (Jerry Howarth,Tom Cheek) | |||
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The1996Toronto Blue Jays season was the 20th season in franchise history. The season involved the Blue Jays finishing fourth in theAmerican League East with a record of 74 wins and 88 losses. The Blue Jays had a losing record for the third consecutive season.
Transactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 1996 season.[1]
| October 16 | Brent Bowers granted free agency (signed withBaltimore Orioles to a contract on November 30, 1995). Darren Hall granted free agency (signed withLos Angeles Dodgers to a one-year, $175,000 contract on November 1, 1995). Wally Whitehurst granted free agency (signed withMontreal Expos to a one-year, $125,000 contract on December 1, 1995). |
| October 19 | Mike Huff granted free agency (signed withToronto Blue Jays to a one-year contract on December 20, 1995). |
| October 30 | Roberto Alomar granted free agency (signed withBaltimore Orioles to a three-year, $18 million contract on December 21, 1995). |
| November 1 | Danny Cox granted free agency (signed withToronto Blue Jays to a contract on December 6, 1995). Devon White granted free agency (signed withFlorida Marlins to a three-year, $9.9 million contract on November 21, 1995). |
| November 2 | Lance Parrish granted free agency (signed withPittsburgh Pirates to a contract on January 4, 1996). Duane Ward granted free agency. |
| November 3 | Paul Molitor granted free agency (signed withMinnesota Twins to a two-year, $5.5 million contract on December 5, 1995). |
| November 6 | Al Leiter granted free agency (signed withFlorida Marlins to a three-year, $8.6 million contract on December 14, 1995). |
| December 4 | Mike Coolbaugh drafted by theTexas Rangers in the 1995 MLBRule 5 draft. |
| December 6 | Re-signed free agentDanny Cox to a one-year contract. SignedRich Rowland from theBoston Red Sox to a contract. AcquiredPaul Quantrill from thePhiladelphia Phillies forHoward Battle andRicardo Jordan. |
| December 7 | Signed free agentOtis Nixon from theTexas Rangers to a two-year, $4.4 million contract. |
| December 14 | Signed free agentCharlie O'Brien from theAtlanta Braves to a two-year, $1.25 million contract. |
| December 18 | AcquiredMiguel Cairo andBill Risley from theSeattle Mariners forEdwin Hurtado andPaul Menhart. |
| December 20 | Re-signed free agentMike Huff to a one-year contract. Re-signedJuan Guzmán to a one-year, $2.24 million contract. Re-signedRandy Knorr to a one-year, $280,000 contract. |
| December 22 | Signed free agentErik Hanson from theBoston Red Sox to a three-year, $9.4 million contract. |
| January 16 | Signed free agentJuan Samuel from theKansas City Royals to a one-year, $325,000 contract. |
| January 24 | Signed free agentRubén Amaro Jr. from theCleveland Indians to a one-year, $109,000 contract. |
| February 10 | Signed free agentDane Johnson from theChicago White Sox to a one-year, $125,000 contract. |
| February 20 | Signed free agentBrian Bohanon from theDetroit Tigers to a one-year, $185,000 contract. |
| February 22 | Signed free agentFrank Viola from theCincinnati Reds to a one-year contract. |
| March 10 | Signed free agentWes Chamberlain from theKansas City Royals to a contract. |
| March 13 | AcquiredScott Pose from theCleveland Indians forJoe Lis. |
| March 14 | SelectedRoberto Durán off of waivers from theLos Angeles Dodgers. |
| March 24 | ReleasedBen Weber. |
| March 29 | Ken Robinson selected off of waivers by theKansas City Royals. |
A new tradition would start in 1996 as the Blue Jays donned red uniforms for the first time. These uniforms would be worn only on Canada Day and would feature "Canada" on the back of their jerseys rather than a player's name. EventualCy Young Award winnerPat Hentgen would start the Canada Day match against theBaltimore Orioles.
The final series of the season would be embroiled in controversy. Against the American League East championBaltimore Orioles, two events would define the Orioles season. The game on Friday, September 27, 1996, would go down as one of the most infamous events in baseball history, as former Blue JayRoberto Alomar would spit at umpire John Hirschbeck. The Sunday game would be a coming-out party forBrady Anderson, as he would hit his 50th home run of the regular season offPat Hentgen. The total would break Frank Robinson's team record for most home runs in a season.
1996 also marked the end of an era for the Blue Jays, as they would redesign their logo and uniforms in the following year and also radically shake up their roster.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 49–31 | 43–39 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 88 | 74 | .543 | 4 | 43–38 | 45–36 |
| Boston Red Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 7 | 47–34 | 38–43 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 74 | 88 | .457 | 18 | 35–46 | 39–42 |
| Detroit Tigers | 53 | 109 | .327 | 39 | 27–54 | 26–55 |
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | — | 7–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 11–2 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 3–10 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 3–10–1 | 8–5 |
| Boston | 6–7 | — | 8–4 | 6–6 | 1–11 | 12–1 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 8–5 |
| California | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 6–6 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 4–9 | 7–5 |
| Chicago | 8–4 | 6–6 | 6–6 | — | 5–8 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 7–5 |
| Cleveland | 7–5 | 11–1 | 9–4 | 8–5 | — | 12–0 | 7–6 | 7–6 | 10–3 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 7–5 |
| Detroit | 2–11 | 1–12 | 6–6 | 3–10 | 0–12 | — | 6–6 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–9 | 6–7 |
| Kansas City | 3–9 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | — | 4–9 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–8 |
| Milwaukee | 3–9 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 9–4 | — | 9–4 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 4–9 | 6–7 | 5–7 |
| Minnesota | 5–7 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 4–9 | — | 5–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 8–5 |
| New York | 10–3 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 9–3 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 8–5 |
| Oakland | 4–9 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 3–9 | — | 8–5 | 7–6 | 4–8 |
| Seattle | 5–7 | 6–7 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 5–8 | — | 10–3 | 5–7 |
| Texas | 10–3–1 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 3–10 | — | 10–2 |
| Toronto | 5–8 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 2–10 | — |
| 1996 Game Log: 74–88 (Home: 35–46; Away: 39–42) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: 11–14 (Home: 5–9; Away: 6–5)
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May: 13–15 (Home: 8–5; Away: 5–10)
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June: 12–15 (Home: 5–6; Away: 7–9)
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July: 13–14 (Home: 7–7; Away: 6–7)
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August: 14–15 (Home: 5–9; Away: 9–6)
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September: 11–15 (Home: 5–10; Away: 6–5)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss Bold = Blue Jays team member |
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Transactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1996 regular season.[3]
| May 5 | ReleasedRubén Amaro Jr. |
| May 7 | SelectedKen Robinson off of waivers from theKansas City Royals. |
| May 15 | AcquiredJacob Brumfield from thePittsburgh Pirates forD.J. Boston. |
| May 17 | Player rights ofRandy Knorr sold to theHouston Astros. |
| May 24 | Signed free agentFélix José from theBoston Red Sox to a minor-league contract. |
| May 27 | ReleasedWes Chamberlain. |
| June 5 | ReleasedFrank Viola. |
| June 15 | Signed amateur free agentLuis Lopez to a contract. |
| July 3 | Signed amateur free agentCésar Izturis to a contract. Giovanni Carrara selected off of waivers by theCincinnati Reds. |
| August 22 | AcquiredLuis Andújar andAllen Halley from theChicago White Sox forTony Castillo andDomingo Cedeño. |
| September 30 | Scott Brow selected off of waivers by theAtlanta Braves. |
| 1996 Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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April
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May
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June
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July
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August
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September
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| = Indicates team leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Charlie O'Brien | 109 | 324 | 33 | 77 | .238 | 13 | 44 | 0 |
| 1B | John Olerud | 125 | 398 | 59 | 109 | .274 | 18 | 61 | 1 |
| 2B | Tomás Pérez | 91 | 295 | 24 | 74 | .251 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| 3B | Ed Sprague | 159 | 591 | 88 | 146 | .247 | 36 | 101 | 0 |
| SS | Alex Gonzalez | 147 | 527 | 64 | 124 | .235 | 14 | 64 | 16 |
| LF | Joe Carter | 157 | 625 | 84 | 158 | .253 | 30 | 107 | 7 |
| CF | Otis Nixon | 125 | 496 | 87 | 142 | .286 | 1 | 29 | 54 |
| RF | Shawn Green | 132 | 422 | 52 | 118 | .280 | 11 | 45 | 5 |
| DH | Carlos Delgado | 138 | 488 | 68 | 132 | .270 | 25 | 92 | 0 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Brumfield | 90 | 308 | 79 | .256 | 12 | 52 |
| Domingo Cedeño | 77 | 282 | 79 | .280 | 2 | 17 |
| Sandy Martínez | 76 | 229 | 52 | .227 | 3 | 18 |
| Robert Pérez | 86 | 202 | 66 | .327 | 2 | 21 |
| Juan Samuel | 69 | 188 | 48 | .255 | 8 | 26 |
| Tilson Brito | 26 | 80 | 19 | .238 | 1 | 7 |
| Felipe Crespo | 22 | 49 | 9 | .184 | 0 | 4 |
| Mike Huff | 11 | 29 | 5 | .172 | 0 | 0 |
| Miguel Cairo | 9 | 27 | 6 | .222 | 0 | 1 |
| Julio Mosquera | 8 | 22 | 5 | .227 | 0 | 2 |
| Shannon Stewart | 7 | 17 | 3 | .176 | 0 | 2 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Hentgen | 35 | 265.2 | 20 | 10 | 3.22 | 177 |
| Erik Hanson | 35 | 214.2 | 13 | 17 | 5.41 | 156 |
| Juan Guzmán | 27 | 187.2 | 11 | 8 | 2.93 | 165 |
| Frank Viola | 6 | 30.1 | 1 | 3 | 7.71 | 18 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Quantrill | 38 | 134.1 | 5 | 14 | 5.43 | 86 |
| Marty Janzen | 15 | 73.2 | 4 | 6 | 7.33 | 47 |
| Huck Flener | 15 | 70.2 | 3 | 2 | 4.58 | 44 |
| Woody Williams | 12 | 59.0 | 4 | 5 | 4.73 | 43 |
| Jeff Ware | 13 | 32.2 | 1 | 5 | 9.09 | 11 |
| Luis Andújar | 3 | 14.1 | 1 | 1 | 5.02 | 5 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Timlin | 59 | 1 | 6 | 31 | 3.65 | 52 |
| Tim Crabtree | 53 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2.54 | 57 |
| Tony Castillo | 40 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4.23 | 48 |
| Paul Spoljaric | 28 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.08 | 38 |
| Bill Risley | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.89 | 29 |
| Brian Bohanon | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7.77 | 17 |
| Scott Brow | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.59 | 23 |
| Giovanni Carrara | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11.40 | 10 |
| Dane Johnson | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 7 |
| José Silva | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 0 |
Joe Carter...walked out onto the sizzling Veterans Stadium turf...held his head high...and heard the boos even before he was introduced. Hard-core Philly baseball fans...(will) never forgive Carter for the dramatic ninth-inning home run that won the 1993 World Series.
As Carter took his first swing and the on-field introduction was made, the boos rained down.