1977 Toronto Blue Jays season
The Blue Jays finished seventh in the American League East with a record of 54 wins and 107 losses, 45½ games behind the World Champion New York Yankees.
[1] Bob Bailor from the Baltimore Orioles Jerry Garvin from the Minnesota Twins Jim Clancy from the Texas Rangers Gary Woods from the Oakland Athletics Rico Carty from the Cleveland Indians Butch Edge from the Milwaukee Brewers Al Fitzmorris from the Kansas City Royals Alvis Woods from the Minnesota Twins Mike Darr from the Baltimore Orioles Pete Vuckovich from the Chicago White Sox Jeff Byrd from the Texas Rangers Steve Bowling from the Milwaukee Brewers Dennis DeBarr from the Detroit Tigers Bill Singer from the Minnesota Twins Jim Mason from the New York Yankees Doug Ault from the Texas Rangers Ernie Whitt from the Boston Red Sox Mike Weathers from the Oakland Athletics Steve Staggs from the Kansas City Royals Steve Hargan from the Texas Rangers Garth Iorg from the New York Yankees Dave Lemanczyk from the Detroit Tigers Larry Anderson from the Milwaukee Brewers Jesse Jefferson from the Chicago White Sox Dave McKay from the Minnesota Twins Tom Bruno from the Kansas City Royals Otto Velez from the New York Yankees Mike Willis from the Baltimore Orioles Sam Ewing from the Chicago White Sox Leon Hooten from the Oakland Athletics Source[2][3] The team had announced on August 26, 1976 that they had selected Dunedin, Florida as its base for spring training.
Bill Singer started the game for the Blue Jays and surrendered a lead off home run to the Mets' Lee Mazzilli.
Pat Gillick had worked out a deal with the New York Yankees to trade Singer for promising young left-hander Ron Guidry.
[6] Blue Jays president Peter Bavasi vetoed the deal, as Singer was part of his plan to market and promote the team.
[6] On April 7, 1977, 44,649 fans attended the first game in Toronto Blue Jays franchise history, as the squad hosted the Chicago White Sox.
An enduring image was the Chicago catcher, Jim Essian, using his shin pads to ski around on the field by their dugout with bats used as poles before the game started.
The umpires for the game included crew chief Nestor Chylak, Joe Brinkman, Rich Garcia, and 27-year-old Steve Palermo, who was making his major-league debut.
[9] The game was broadcast on the CBC with Tom McKee (host), Don Chevrier (play-by-play) and New York Yankees legend Whitey Ford providing the commentary and analysis.
It would take more than five years of lobbying and petitioning from Blue Jays owners Labatt and other interested parties before the Legislative Assembly of Ontario legalized beer sales in the middle of the 1982 season.
Bill Singer threw the first pitch in Toronto Blue Jays history to Ralph Garr of the White Sox, a high fastball called for a strike.
Blue Jays manager Roy Hartsfield went to the mound to talk to Singer as reliever Jerry Johnson started warming up in the bullpen.
[10] Outfielder John Scott was the first Blue Jays player to have an at bat, facing White Sox pitcher Ken Brett, taking a strike on the first pitch thrown to him.
Up came first baseman Doug Ault, a 27-year-old career minor-leaguer with only nine games' experience in the majors with the Texas Rangers and the Blue Jays' 16th pick in the expansion draft.
[12] With one out to go for the win, Jim Spencer hit a line drive to left field but Scott dropped the ball for a two-base error.
[13] April 7, Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, Ontario The Blue Jays finished their first homestand with a 5–2 record, sitting in first place in the American League East by 0.5 games, as the team took two of three against the Chicago White Sox and three of four from the Detroit Tigers.
On May 4, the Blue Jays scored 10 runs in a game for the first time in team history, thumping the Milwaukee Brewers 10–3 at Exhibition Stadium.
On June 27, Ron Guidry of the New York Yankees was carrying a no-hitter into the fifth inning when he walked the bases loaded, then gave up a grand slam to light-hitting Hector Torres, which vaulted the Jays to a 7–6 victory.
At the 1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game held at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 19, first baseman Ron Fairly was the only Blue Jays representative.
After the All-Star break, the Blue Jays' struggles continued, losing eight games in a row before ending the month with a win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
On August 9, the Blue Jays defeated the Minnesota Twins 6–2 in front of 23,450 fans at Exhibition Stadium, as the franchise broke the single-season record for attendance by an expansion team.
The Blue Jays inaugural season came to a close on October 2, as they split a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians in front of 27,789 fans at Exhibition Stadium, bringing their total attendance to 1,701,052, an MLB record for an expansion team.
