Blue Jays: Good years with bad Aprils
1993- World Series Champs started slow
It wasn’t their worst April by any means, but the Blue Jays weren’t lighting the world on fire in April following their first championship the year before. They had lost Dave Winfield in free agency the year before, but replaced him with Paul Molitor, and largely returned the same lineup that had won a ring a year before.
Fortunately the club they turned things on, going 16-12 in May before going nuts in June, finishing 19-9 on the month. In addition to Molitor, the club had Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar at second base, Joe Carter in right field, John Olerud at first base, and you guessed it, Tony Fernandez at short.
Speaking of the above mentioned players, Olerud (.363), Molitor (.342), and Alomar (.326) finished 1-2-3 in the AL batting race, leading one of the most prolific offences in franchise history. The rotation featured Pat Hentgen, Juan Guzman, and Jack Morris, and had Duane Ward move from set-up man to closer with great success.
The Blue Jays would defeat the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS before beating the Philadelphia Phillies in the ’93 World Series. Of course, that series is home of the biggest moment in Blue Jays history, when Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run to finish off the series and secure the franchise’s second straight championship.