It finally happened. Something fans of the Toronto Blue Jays have been asking for, for years. The Blue Jays celebrated one of their franchise icons by unveiling a statue of Joe Carter celebrating his iconic World Series winning home run from the 1993 World Series. That statue will now sit outside of Rogers Centre forever more, giving fans a new way to celebrate one of the greatest moments in franchise history.
It's fitting that the statue unveiling comes during the team's 50th season. The Blue Jays have done a tremendous job all year of celebrating their history and Saturday (Jul. 18) was no different. They didn't just unveil the statue, but many patrons were giving replica World Series rings as part of the game day giveaways. Then, members of the 1992 and 1993 World Series teams were a part of some pre-game festivities, getting introduced in front of the Rogers Centre crowd.
That was followed by the statue unveiling outside, before those '92-'93 championship players and coaches came back into the stadium. They walked through the concourse, high-fiving fans along the way, made their way down to the field via the seats just behind home plate, and then Carter gave a speech, before throwing out the first pitch to George Springer. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then came out and handed Carter a custom home run jacket that celebrated his home run as well.
For a swing that not only gave the Blue Jays their second straight title and was also only the second (to date) home run that ended a World Series, it was certainly a fitting tribute. But now that the Blue Jays as an organization have commemorated that moment with a statue, many Blue Jays fans are wondering: what player or moment could be next?
What other moments in Blue Jays' history should be recognized with their own statues?
Dave Stieb's no-hitter
The first (and still only) no-hitter in Blue Jays' history, Stieb no-hit Cleveland on Sept. 2, 1990. It was as much a personal feat as it was a team effort. Stieb had previously been denied a no-hitter or perfect game four times between 1985-1990. Many of the players on the field when Junior Felix caught the ball in right-field to close out the no-no had been through all of those close calls with Stieb along the way.
Stieb isn't just "the guy that threw the no-hitter." Stieb was selected to seven All-Star teams (more than any other Blue Jays' player). He holds the team records for innings pitched in a career (2,873) and in a single season (288.3 in 1982) as well as complete games in a career (103) and a single season (19 in 1982). He is first in pitcher's WAR (56.9), third in ERA (3.42), wins (172), strikeouts (1658) and shutouts (30).
A statue of Stieb pointing up at the press box, smiling, as the final out is made, just before he gets mobbed by his teammates in celebration would be worth a statue outside of Rogers Centre.
Roy Halladay
Halladay is the only player the Blue Jays have drafted and developed that has entered into the Hall of Fame. "Doc" gave so many of his best years to the Blue Jays in an era where they could never truly compete with the big market spending of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. However, that didn't stop Halladay from exerting his dominance. He produced a 47.6 fWAR from 2000-2009 (his peak with the Blue Jays) while compiling a 139-69 record, the third-highest total in that span.
He threw 47 complete games with Toronto, the most of anyone in baseball within that time frame and he also produced six seasons of 220+ innings, and led the league in 2002, '03, and '08 in innings pitched.
José Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion
Neither of their home runs won a World Series - heck Bautista's home run didn't even end the game - but these two sluggers defined an era of Blue Jays' baseball, and propelled the city closer to a World Series title than they had been since Joe "touched 'em all."
They both followed similar paths, being discarded by a couple of franchises before finding a home with the Blue Jays and becoming the anchors in a lineup that went to the ALCS back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. Bautista's bat flip in Game 5 of the '15 ALDS against the Texas Rangers rocked Rogers Centre, giving the Blue Jays a 6-3 lead they would not relinquish.
A year later, Encarnacion walked off the Orioles in the one-and-done 2016 Wild Card game. A game infamous for Orioles manager Buck Showalter's decision to not use one of the best relievers on the planet at the time to face Edwin. Due to that, the parrot went for a walk to send the Blue Jays to the ALDS.
A statue with Bautista's bat flip on one side and Edwin's arms raised after hitting the home run on the other would be a welcomed addition outside Rogers Centre.
Honourable mention: Bautista hitting his 50th home run. Only one Blue Jays' player has hit 50 home runs in a single season, and that was Joey Bats in 2010.
George Bell and Josh Donaldson
The only Blue Jays' players to win American League MVP awards, Bell's 1987 season and Donaldson's 2015 season certainly deserve some recognition. Bell batted .308 with 47 home runs and a league leading 134 RBIs. Donaldson hit .297 with 41 home runs and also led the league with 123 RBIs.
Honourable mention: Bell on his knees for the 1985 AL East title. The moment the Blue Jays went from expansion team, to champions of the AL East division for the first time is still one of the biggest accomplishments in team history. Bell caught the final out on Oct. 5, 1985, catching a fly ball and falling to his knees in celebration as Tony Fernandez high-fived him.
Bill Singer and Doug Ault
On Apr. 7, 1977, Singer threw the first pitch in Blue Jays' history, while Doug Ault hit not one, but two home runs, while 44,469 people took in the game at Exhibition Stadium on a snowy afternoon. The first game in franchise history could proudly be displayed outside Rogers Centre.
Carlos Delgado
Delgado was one of the best sluggers in the American League for a decade and in an era where many of the other sluggers have been found to have been using performance enhancing drugs, Delgado was always clean.
As a Blue Jay he hit 336 home runs, had 1413 hits, produced a 36.8 bWAR and slashed .282/.392/.556 in 1423 games played. By the measure of his career credentials, Delgado IS a Hall of Fame player, but hasn't been inducted...yet. Until that day comes, the Blue Jays should also find a way to commemorate the greatest slugger they ever developed.
