Are You The Biggest Blue Jays Fan? Prove It By Acing This Quiz

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In Canada, hockey dominates sports talk radio and television, especially in the early 2000s when both the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays were mediocre, if not awful, teams. Even in the summer, a lot of the talk is centered around the off-season signings of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens rather than how the Blue Jays are playing. However, that notion changed considerably in 2015, when the Blue Jays went on an outstanding run en route to reaching the playoffs for the first time in over 20 years. It became clear that there was a huge demand for baseball in not only Toronto, but Canada as a whole - fans were simply tired of watching mediocre teams for 20-plus years.

That momentum carried over into 2016 and even into this season. The Blue Jays are a terrible team this year, yet they lead the American League East in attendance and still regularly receive upwards of one million viewers per game. To put that in perspective, Canada's population is 36.29 million. The franchise has had its ups and downs throughout its history, but there's no denying it's one of the most important teams in the MLB, especially as it remains the only non-American franchise.

Question 1

What stadium did the team play out of for its first 12 years in the league?

Every year in August, Toronto is home to the Canadian National Exhibition, which is basically a carnival complete with rides, games, and over-the-top food options. Up until 1989, the location on which the carnival now takes place was where the Blue Jays played its home games. The team played its first game at the stadium in 1977, three years after the city voted to reconstruct the stadium to make it suitable for baseball. Renovations of the 38,000 seat stadium cost $17.5 million.

Question 2

The team currently plays out of the Rogers Centre. What was it previously called?

The Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Media and, as is the case with most stadiums and arenas these days, the ownership group opted to incorporate its name into the Blue Jays stadium. It's a pretty common practice, but it doesn't mean it has been accepted by fans. In fact, despite the stadium being changed to the Rogers Centre in 2005, there are still many fans who refer to the stadium as its old name, which it had since the beginning of its construction in 1987.

Question 3

In what year did the team win its first American League East division title?

Having an expansion franchise in any sport can create excitement and buzz within a city, but that can only last for a limited amount of time. It's accepted by most fans that the expansion team will be terrible for a few years as it acquires younger players and builds up its minor league system, but if there isn't any sustained success or noticeable growth within a few years, fans can lose interest. The Blue Jays missed the playoffs for a number of years before finally doing so in the 1980s. The team then went on to make the postseason in five of the next nine seasons.

Question 4

How many AL East division titles has the team won?

The American League East is widely considered as the toughest division in baseball. During the early part of the 21st century, the Blue Jays fielded above-average teams, but had little chance to make the playoffs given the dominance of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, while the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays have shown improvement in recent years. That's why the Blue Jays AL East Division title in 2015 was so meaningful. It was the first time the team had won the division in 22 years.

Question 5

In which year did the team win its first World Series?

Winning the division is one thing; winning the World Series takes a special kind of team. The Blue Jays won its first AL East Division Title in 1985 and did so again two more times before it finally parlaying its division win into a World Series. Toronto boasted a regular season record of 96-66 in the year it won its first World Series and defeated the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. It lost the first game in the World Series to the Braves, before winning four of the next five.

Question 6

Which pitcher wasn't part of the team that won Toronto's first World Series?

The 1992 Toronto Blue Jays boasted an impressive roster of batters including Pat Borders, Ed Sprague, Roberto Alomar, John Olerud, Devon White, and Joe Carter. All of those players were necessary as, according to Baseball Reference, the team actually had the worst pitching staff among all 26 teams that season, while the Braves had the best. Still, the Blue Jays pitchers performed well when it mattered as they allowed only 44 runs in 12 playoffs games - 14 of which were allowed in lopsided losses.

Question 7

How many years did Roger Clemens play for the Blue Jays?

The Blue Jays were easily the most successful and dominant team of the early 1990s as it won back-to-back World Series, but by the mid-90s the team had taken a backseat to the thriving New York Yankees. In an attempt to regain relevance, Toronto signed Roger Clemens to a four-year, $40 million contract following the 1996 season. "The Rocket" recorded some of the best seasons of his career in Toronto as he won a pair of Cy Young Awards as well as two triple crowns.

Question 8

How many Cy Young Awards have Blue Jays pitchers won combined?

No pitcher has been able to equal the two-year stretch that Roger Clemens had with the Blue Jays, but he isn't the only one to win a Cy Young Award as the American League's top pitcher during his tenure with the team. Clemens led the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA during his two years with the Blue Jays, but was traded after just two seasons to the New York Yankees in exchange for David Wells, Graeme Lloyd, and Homer Bush. However, a Blue Jays pitcher has won the Cy Young Award before and after Clemens' tenure.

Question 9

Aside from Josh Donaldson, who is the only other Blue Jay to win the AL MVP?

The trade that brought Josh Donaldson from the Oakland Athletics to the Toronto Blue Jays changed the fate of both organizations. The Athletics went into a tailspin and have yet to reach the playoffs since, while the Blue Jays reached the playoffs in consecutive years in 2015 and 2016, the former of which Donaldson earned the American League MVP. The third baseman hit for a .297 average and led the MLB in runs with 123 that season. He earned 23 of 30 possible first-place votes and became only the second Blue Jay to win the award.

Question 10

Aside from Alfredo Griffin, who is the only other Blue Jay to win the AL Rookie of the Year?

If you've been following the Blue Jays this year, you know the team isn't exactly stocked with an impressive group of prospects. That has seemingly always been the case as, for the most part, the Jays have struggled to develop their own star players. There have been instances in which the team had promising players break onto the scene with impressive rookie seasons. Alfredo Griffin, for instance, won Rookie of the Year in 1979, but didn't necessarily become a star in the league. That was also the case for the only other Blue Jays player to win the award as he had the best season of his 12-year career as a rookie.

Question 11

Who is the only Blue Jays pitcher to win an AL Gold Glove award?

Every year both the American and National League awards Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards to the best hitter and fielder at each position, with the lone exception being there is no AL Silver Slugger Award as pitchers don't bat; instead there is a Silver Slugger Award for designated hitters. One might assume that, since the Blue Jays have been around for 40 years, a few of their pitchers would have won a Gold Glove award. However, only one pitcher won the award as a member of the Blue Jays. It was the first of his career.

Question 12

Who is the only Blue Jays manager to win AL Manager of the Year?

Despite the fact the Blue Jays have been around for 40 years, the team has really only had three long-term managers - Bobby Cox, Cito Gaston, and John Gibbons. Combined, the three managers have been leading the team's personnel for 25 seasons. Beyond those three, only Jimy Williams and Carlos Tosca have managed over 350 games with the team, while a host of other managers have lasted two years or less. Several managers have lasted less than 100 games, including Buck Martinez, Gene Tenace, and Harry Warner.

Question 13

Who won the World Series MVP in 1993?

Many fans remember Joe Carter as the hero of the 1993 World Series as he provided the iconic moment that is still frequently referenced today, but Carter didn't win the World Series MVP that year. The Blue Jays defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games and Carter had a respectable series as he recorded seven hits, including a pair of home runs and eight RBI, but Paul Molitor was a model of consistency during the series as he went 12 for 24 with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs.

Question 14

Who is the first player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay?

Six players and one manager who played for the Toronto Blue Jays have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, but only one player has been enshrined as a member of the Blue Jays. The others - Frank Thomas, Ricky Henderson, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Phil Niekro, and manager Bobby Cox - are all best known as members of other teams and, as such, have been inducted in association with those teams. Molitor, for instance, was a major part of the Blue Jays World Series-winning team in 1993, but he spent 15 years of his 21-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Question 15

True or false: A Blue Jay has won MVP of the World Baseball Classic?

Baseball is being contested as an Olympic sport in 2020 after a 12-year absence, but even when it was an Olympic sport MLB players were prohibited from participating. The league doesn't intend on taking a break from its season to allow players to compete in 2020, especially when it already allows its players to compete in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The tournament began in 2006 and was won that year by Japan, which repeated as champions in 2009. Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013, while the United States, led by a certain Blue Jays pitcher, defeated Puerto Rico in the 2017 final.

Question 16

Which team did the Blue Jays acquire Jose Bautista from?

Jose Bautista is having a miserable year at the plate in 2017, which was predictable given his recent decline in statistics and trouble with injuries. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that he's one of the franchise's best all-time players. The polarizing player was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000, but was later selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft and bounced around with a few more teams before becoming a superstar in Toronto.

Question 17

Which team did the Blue Jays acquire Edwin Encarnacion from?

Like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion was a mediocre player who was struggling to find his footing in the big leagues before being dealt to the Blue Jays. The three-time All-Star was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the ninth round of the 2000 MLB Amateur Draft, but was traded the following year to a National League team, where he remained for eight years before being dealt to Toronto. Prior to joining the Blue Jays, his career high in RBI was 76; he topped 100 in four separate seasons with Toronto.

Question 18

How many times did Jose Bautista lead the AL in home runs?

After joining the Blue Jays from Pittsburgh in 2008, Jose Bautista didn't immediately find his form as a dominant hitter; he had just 13 home runs and 40 RBI in his first full season with the team. However, in 2010, Bautista hit a league-leading 54 home runs and posted an impressive On-Base plus Slugging (OPS) of .995. He didn't slow down in the seasons to follow either as he reached home run totals of 43, 27, 28, 35, and 40 in the next five seasons.

Question 19

Who hit the walk-off home run that clinched the 1993 World Series?

By the 1993 season, the Blue Jays had established themselves as one of the league's best teams. Toronto had won the World Series the previous season and had won three consecutive American League East Division titles. It was also attracting proven veteran players to join its growing young core. One of those players, who it acquired in 1991, had proven to be well worth the price as he recorded back-to-back 100-plus RBI seasons with the team in 1992 and 1993 and hit the walk-off home run in the 1993 World Series.

Question 20

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in games played?

It takes a great player to reach the 1,000 games mark with one team. Even the most talented players wear out their welcome with certain teams and can find themselves traded after only a few years. The Blue Jays, for instance, have been around for 40 years, but only have 11 players who have reached at least 1,000 games with the team. To put it into context, that's just over six full seasons. Most of the 11 players to reach that milestone were members of the team in its earlier years, although Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista have each reached the mark.

Question 21

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in batting average?

Beyond games played, career batting is a strong measure of how well an individual played during the course of his career with one particular team. Anybody can hit for a .300 average for one season, but to do it consistently over the course of multiple seasons requires a special player. Surprisingly, the Blue Jays have only had one player in its franchise history to hit better than a .300 average at the plate, although Shannon Stewart was just .002 percentage points shy of the mark through 907 games with the team.

Question 22

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in home runs?

In part due to plenty of roster turnover, the Blue Jays have only had six players hit at least 200 home runs as a member of the team. In contrast, 10 players reached the mark with the Detroit Tigers, one of the Blue Jays earliest rivals. It's a tough feat to accomplish, especially considering 40 home runs is considered a lot in one season. Josh Donaldson, for example, recently hit his 100th home run as a member of the Blue Jays, and is only in 18th place on the franchise's leaderboard.

Question 23

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in runs scored?

Runs scored is a stat that is often associated with speedy players at the top of a lineup, but the Blue Jays all-time leaderboard in the stat doesn't exactly trend that way as its top three players are also among its home run leaders. While they're not exactly the speedy players capable of going first to home on a double, they're more than capable of scoring a run themselves by hitting a ball out of the park. The franchise's all-time leader scored 889 runs in 1,423 games with the team.

Question 24

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in RBI?

The ability to drive in runs is a valued trait in the MLB. Most of the game's premier run producers are home run hitters who can drive in up to four runs with one swing of the bat, but there's also those who thrive with runners in scoring position and have better averages in those situations to prove it. The Blue Jays all-time RBI leader is a mix of both as he hit 336 home runs during his tenure with the team and also drove in 1,058 runs. The franchise's second-leading run producer has 813 RBI.

Question 25

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in stolen bases?

The Blue Jays have predominantly been a home run hitting team in the past 40 years, and that much is evident when you take a look at the team's all-time leaders in stolen bases. Only two players have stolen over 200 bases, while the Cincinnati Reds, for example, have 12 players with at least 200 stolen bases. And while the Jays have had speedy outfielders such as Rajai Davis, Devon White, and Shannon Stewart, they either didn't stay around long enough or their speed simply didn't translate on the basepaths.

Question 26

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in wins?

Many great pitchers have played for the Blue Jays, but few have remained with the team long enough to top the team's list of all-time wins. Roger Clemens and Mark Buehrle come to mind as all-time greats, but they only lasted a combined five years with the team. Still, the fact that they're 17th and 18th respectively in all-time franchise wins says a lot about the long-term success of the Jays pitchers. Ricky Romero, for instance, ranks 10th with 51 wins, despite having only a couple good seasons with the team. Five pitchers, however, have topped 100 wins with the club, including the franchise's all-time leader, who has 175 wins.

Question 27

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in strikeouts?

There are also five pitchers who have topped 1,000 strikeouts with the Blue Jays. The franchise's all-time leader amassed 1,658, while second place on the list reached 1,495 in 126 fewer games. Recent pitchers with the team such as Brandon Morrow, A.J Burnett, Brett Cecil, and R.A. Dickey are all in the top 20 with over 500 strikeouts, but the top five represent the true Blue Jays legends, four of which won a World Series with the team in either 1992 or 1993.

Question 28

Who is the Blue Jays franchise leader in saves?

As good as Roberto Osuna has been at such a young age, the current Blue Jays closer still has plenty of work to do in order to catch up to the franchise's all-time leader. Osuna currently ranks fifth all-time in saves with 89 om 106 save opportunities. Of note, he also has the best WHIP of the top five by a considerable margin, so should he continue to pitch at the rate he has been he could very well reach the top of the list by the end of his career. For now, the all-time leader in saves has a remarkable 217, which is 96 more than Duane Ward, who is in second place.

Question 29

True or false: It snowed during Toronto's first ever game?

Rightly or wrongly, Toronto receives a bad rap for its weather. Athletes often complain of the cold weather in the winter, but it's not often the same complaints are said about New York, Chicago, or Philadelphia, all of which have similar climates to Toronto. That said, it has been known to snow in Toronto - and the rest of Canada - in April, when the MLB season generally begins. The team's first ever game was held on April 7 against the Chicago White Sox and the Blue Jays overcame an early 4-1 deficit to win 9-5.

Question 30

What year did the Blue Jays join Major League Baseball?

Canada was without a Major League Baseball franchise for nearly 100 years before the Toronto Blue Jays joined the league. An ownership group of Labatt Breweries and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce joined forces to purchase an expansion team and began putting people in place to run the team, despite not exactly having a suitable stadium for the cold weather city. The league held an expansion draft and management did its best to put together a competitive team, but the Jays finished a disappointing 54-107 in its first season.

Question 31

Which former Blue Jay calls games for the team on Sportsnet?

Joined by fellow former player Pat Tabler, this former catcher and manager has been doing play-by-play for the Blue Jays for over a decade on Rogers Sportsnet and previously on TSN. He also used to call Sunday Night Baseball games on ESPN and worked prominently during the most recent World Baseball Classic. His distinctive voice has become well known among Jays fans throughout Canada and, despite his popularity, he's actually better suited as a color commentator and thrives when in the role alongside Dan Shulman.

Question 32

As of the start of the 2017 season, who was the Jays manager?

As mentioned earlier, the Blue Jays have only really had three managers of substance since coming into the league in 1977. In total, they have actually had 15, but few have stuck around long enough to even be remembered. For instance, if you can remember Jim Fregosi or Tim Johnson, give yourself a gold star and a 100 percent on the quiz. The current Jays manager, however, has been with the team for a total of 10 seasons and, as of right now, appears in line to return for an 11th season next year.

Question 33

Which two players did the Blue Jays acquire prior to the 2015 trade deadline to help them win the division?

If you really are a true Blue Jays fan, you understand just how incredible the 2015 season was. The team had been mired in mediocrity for over 20 years to the point where even a playoff berth felt as though it was impossible. It even felt that way halfway through the 2015 season, but rather than loading up for the following season, Alex Anthopolous, the team's general manager, acquired two big-name players via trade at the deadline and the team subsequently went on a tear, posting a record of 40-18 en route to securing the AL East division title.

Question 34

What is the name of the Blue Jays AAA minor league affiliate?

Baseball is unlike any other sport with regard to minor league affiliates. The National Hockey League has one primarily minor league affiliate and a second that it might use to send a handful of prospects; the National Basketball Association has one; the National Football League doesn't have any; and soccer has a different system altogether that utilizes transfer deals. The Blue Jays, however, currently have eight minor league affiliates. There's AAA, AA, Advanced A, A, Short-Season A, Rookie (x2), and Foreign Rookie.

Question 35

Who is the current general manager of the Blue Jays?

After making the trades for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price and helping the Blue Jays to its first playoff appearance in 22 years, Alex Anthopolous went out on top, opting no to re-sign with the team after a new president was hired. Much to the dismay of fans, the new president, who had previously worked for the Cleveland Indians, hired another former Cleveland executive to take over as the team's general manager. The jury is still out on whether or not it was the right move, as he has made smart moves as well as notable misses.

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