Ranking the 10 best Blue Jays teams by regular season record

8. 2021: 91-71 (.562), 4th AL East

It was just a few seasons ago that the Blue Jays looked like they were on the verge of becoming a playoff team on the back of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s MVP-runner-up campaign.

The 2021 season, disrupted by pandemic travel restrictions, saw Toronto start their regular season playing in TD Ballpark at their spring training complex in Dunedin. They then moved north to a refurbished Sahlen Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons. They finally returned to Rogers Centre on July 30 with a 51-48 record.

Spurred by the emotions of a long-awaited homecoming, the 2021 Blue Jays went on a 40-23 run the rest of the season. It looked like they had a legitimate chance at a Wild Card berth, playing with the big boys of the AL East.

They reeled off three straight wins on the final weekend, including a 12-4 rout of the Orioles on the final day, but had to rely on the Washington Nationals to beat the Boston Red Sox to grab the final Wild Card. Heartbreakingly, we all watched along with the players and fans at Rogers Centre as the Red Sox recorded the final out of their playoff-clinching win. We saw the distress on Guerrero's face as the magical run ended with the Jays one game out of the playoffs.

7. 1991: 91-71 (.562), 1st AL East

In 1991, the Blue Jays put together a 91-71 record and finished first in the AL East for the second time in franchise history. Led by Gaston, the Jays finished seven games ahead of the Red Sox.

With Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar and Devon White all in their maiden seasons in Toronto, the team started to resemble the World Series rosters that followed. All three players received MVP votes this season. Starting pitchers Todd Stottlemyre, Jimmy Key, David Wells and rookie Juan Guzmán combined for 56 wins and made up one of the best rotations in the majors, allowing the second-fewest runs per game (3.84).

In their second full season playing in the state-of-the-art SkyDome, the 1991 Blue Jays led MLB in attendance, with 4,001,527 fans packing the stadium. The Dome also saw its first playoff action, but the Jays bowed out to the eventual World Series-winning Minnesota Twins.