The Blue Jays continue to be one of the most active teams this off-season, as they acquire 3B Josh Donaldson from Oakland for four players – oft-injured 3B Brett Lawrie and prospects Kendall Graveman, Sean Nolin and Franklin Barreto.
The Blue Jays defeat the Tigers, 6 – 5, in the longest game in team history in terms of both time and innings, thanks to a run-scoring single by Jose Bautista in the 19th inning, after 6 hours and 37 minutes of baseball. The winning hit comes off Rick Porcello, normally a starter but pressed into action by the length of the game. Melky Cabrera is the first player since Rod Carew on May 12, 1972 to reach base 8 times in a game. Chad Jenkinsthrows 6 scoreless innings for the win. The Tigers take an early 5 – 0 lead against starter Mark Buehrle who is chased in the 4th, but the Jays claw back and tie the game in the bottom of the 9th.
2013 – The Yankees lose a big piece of their projected line-up when LF Curtis Granderson suffers a broken forearm after being struck by a pitch by Toronto’s J.A. Happ in the 1st inning of a Grapefruit League game in Tampa, FL. The Yanks’ most prolific home run hitter over the past two seasons is expected to be out for 10 weeks.
An unofficial rain delay occurs in Toronto when the retractable roof of the Rogers Centre closes so slowly that the fans have to run for cover as the stands and field get soaked with rain that begins to fall during the middle of the sixth inning. Surprisingly, there have been six official rain delays in the Rogers Centre, formerly known as the Skydome.
The Indians and Blue Jays set a record by playing 16 innings on Opening Day before Toronto wins the game, 7 – 4, on a three-run homer by J.P. Arencibia off Jairo Asencio. The Indians take a 4 – 0 lead in the 2nd as Jack Hannahan hits a three-run homer off Ricky Romero, but do not score again over the next 14 frames. The Jays rally for 3 runs in the 9th off closer Chris Perez to negate a great start by Justin Masterson and send the game into extra innings.
January 1, 2012 – The Blue Jays repatriate Jason Frasor, the team’s all-time leader in games pitched with 455, from the White Sox in return for minor leaguers Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb. Frasor had been sent to Chicago at the 2011 trading deadline after spending 8 seasons as a member of the Jays’ bullpen.
September 13, 2011 At Fenway Park the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 18-6. Dustin Pedroia hits 2 home runs his 19th and 20th and joins Jacoby Ellsbury as the first 20/20 tandem in team history. Pedroia will finish with 21 Homeruns and 26 steals, Ellsbury will have a historic season hitting 32 home…
The Blue Jays take a bet that Jose Bautista’s breakout 2010 season, when he led the majors with 54 homers, was not a fluke. They sign the OF/3B to a five-year deal worth $65 million, avoiding arbitration.
Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are voted into the Hall of Fame when the results of the 2011 Hall of Fame Election are announced. Alomar, twice a World Champion with the Toronto Blue Jays and a perennial Gold Glove winner at second base, makes it in his second year on the ballot. For workhorse pitcher Blyleven, it’s been harder. He started out at 17.5% in his first year of eligibility, and finally crossed the 75% threshold in his 14th year after a dedicated campaign on his behalf conducted through the internet. Once again, voters express their disgust with avowed steroid users, as Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, both members of the 500 home run club, finish well down on the ballot.
The Toronto Blue Jays, leading the majors in home runs, hit 8 in today’s 17 – 11 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. C J.P. Arencibia hits two in his major league debut, including one on the first pitch thrown to him in the 2nd inning; Aaron Hill also has two, and José Bautista hits his major league-leading 34th. Adam Lind, Lyle Overbay and Edwin Encarnacion complete the long ball barrage; Rays starter James Shields surrenders 6 of the homers, tying a modern record.
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