On This Day: The Toronto Blue Jays Win the 1992 World Series
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On October 24, 1992, everything changed for the Toronto Blue Jays. The team made history by winning its first world series, becoming the first baseball team outside of the United States to capture the sport’s top trophy.
The game-winning match took place at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and had the entire attention of the country as the nation sat on the edge of its seat in anticipation while the Jays battled it out against the Atlanta Braves.
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The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3
Toronto won 4-3 over the Braves in Game 6 with an 11-inning victory. The roster of the team was filled with talented players including Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and Roberto Alomar. Winfield, a right fielder who had the winning hit of the game, spoke of the win afterwards in the team’s clubhouse.
“I’ll tell you, I’m the oldest man in the room, and it took me the longest to get a World Series championship,” Winfield said. “But I’m the happiest right now. I didn’t do a whole lot, but I did it at the right time. This is the best team I ever played for. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball. I’m almost speechless. I can hardly think of the words to describe it.”
Torontonians celebrated the win with an estimated almost half a million fans taking over the downtown streets of the city to cheer and wave flags. Brian Mulroney, who was prime minister at the time, sent a message to congratulate the team: “You have united a nation behind you, capturing the imagination of Canadians from coast to coast,” he said.
Cito Gaston made history as an MLB manager
The win was also a groundbreaking moment for the team’s manager, Cito Gaston. Capturing the championship made Gaston became the first African American Major League Baseball manager to win the World Series.
As of today, the Jays are currently the only Canadian baseball team that has competed in and won a World Series. (The Montreal Expos never won and the team folded in 2004.)
The 2022 season ended for the Jays with a 10-9 loss to the Seattle Mariners in Game 2 of the Wild Card round.
