Blue Jays: Best players in franchise history to wear jersey numbers 31-40

This is a series of the best Toronto Blue Jays players to wear jersey numbers 31-40. Read jersey numbers 21-30, 11-20, and 0-10 too.

#31 Duane Ward 

Duane Ward emerged in the late 1980s and eventually became known as one of the best relief pitchers in franchise history. 

He was acquired midway through the 1986 season in exchange for Doyle Alexander, who had been a workhorse starting pitcher for the previous three years. 

It took him a while to earn the trust of the coaching staff, but starting in 1988, Ward had an incredible run of sustained excellence. Every year from 1988 to 1992, the sturdy reliever topped 100 innings out of the bullpen, while averaging over 70 appearances per season. 

When it came to be his time to “shut it down”, Ward proved he could be just as dominant as longtime closer Tom Henke, saving an American League-best 45 games in 1993. 

#32 Roy Halladay 

It’s hard to put into words just how much Roy Halladay meant to the organization. He touched so many lives and set a standard for dominance, hard work and professionalism that will never be forgotten. 

Right from the get-go, it was clear “Doc” had the chance to be special when he nearly tossed a no-hitter in just his second career start. He was demoted briefly in 2001, but that only seemed to push Halladay to become one of the best pitchers in the majors.

He was a tireless worker, four times leading the league in innings pitched and surpassing the 200-inning mark eight times. The former first-round pick was a Cy Young Award winner twice and was a finalist five times. Halladay died tragically in a plane accident in 2017 and has since had his number retired by both the Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies, and was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2019.