The signature moments for every Toronto Blue Jays Hall of Excellence member

The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled their new Hall of Excellence this past weekend. It is a dedicated area in the Rogers Centre concourse where fans feel like they are stepping right into a piece of Blue Jays' history.

The Hall includes MVPs, World Series heroes, franchise icons, executives, managers and voices who helped define 50 season's of Blue Jays baseball in Toronto. Not every member’s legacy can be captured by a stat line or a single season, but each has a moment (or two) that explains why they hold such an important place in franchise history. (Below in alphabetical order)

These moments defined the members of the Blue Jays Hall of Excellence

Jose Bautista
The 2015 ALDS bat flip home run against the Texas Rangers is arguably Bautista's biggest moment with the Blue Jays. Bautista had already authored one of the great late-career breakouts in franchise history, but that swing — and the unforgettable celebration that followed — became the defining image of the Blue Jays’ return to relevance.

Honourable mention: Bautista hits his 50th home run.

On Sept. 23, 2010, Bautista became the first (and still only) player in Blue Jays' history to reach the 50 homer plateau, and just the 26th player in MLB history to get there. He hit a 2-1 pitch from Seattle Mariners legend Felix Hernandez that went into the Blue Jays' bullpen at Rogers Centre to land himself in the history books.

George Bell
Winning the 1987 American League MVP Award. Bell’s MVP season remains one of the most celebrated individual campaigns in Blue Jays history and cemented him as one of the franchise’s first true superstars.

Honourable mention: Three homers on Opening Day.

Bell picked up right where he left off in '87 by belting a club record three home runs on Opening Day to begin the 1988 season. On Apr. 4 of that year, Toronto opened the season on the road against the Royals in Kansas City. Bell belted three home runs off their ace Brett Saberhagen to become the first MLB player to accomplish the feat.

Paul Beeston
Helping build the Blue Jays from an expansion franchise into a two-time World Series champion and one of baseball’s model organizations. Beeston’s signature moment is about the long-term vision that helped turn Toronto into a championship baseball city.

Joe Carter
The 1993 World Series walk-off home run (now immortalized in statue form) Carter’s three-run shot against Philadelphia remains the most iconic swing in Blue Jays history and one of the defining moments in Canadian sports.

Honourable mention: Catching the final out of the 1992 World Series

One year before his home run, he helped give the Blue Jays, and Canada, it's first World Series championship when he caught Mike Timlin's throw at first base to secure the final out of the '92 World Series on Otis Nixon's bunt. Carter started jumping for joy as Toronto defeated the Atlanta Braves.

Tom Cheek
“Touch ’em all, Joe, you’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life.” Cheek’s call of Carter’s 1993 World Series-winning homer is inseparable from the moment itself and remains the most famous broadcast call in franchise history.

Carlos Delgado
His four-home-run game on Sept. 25, 2003. Delgado had many elite seasons in Toronto, but becoming one of the few players in MLB history to homer four times in one game stands as the cleanest single-game snapshot of his power.

Honourable mention: Delgado breaks franchise home run record

The Blue Jays were "only" in their 24th season in the summer of 2001, but on May 11 of that year, they were going to put a name in their record books that has yet to be removed. On that day, Delgado hit his 204th career home run to pass Carter for the top spot in franchise history. He would finish his Blue Jays' career with 336, a mark that has yet to be surpassed.

Tony Fernandez
His return to Toronto and key role on the 1993 World Series championship team. Fernandez was already one of the most beloved players in franchise history, but coming back and helping the Blue Jays repeat added an emotional, full-circle chapter to his legacy. He also drove in two of the biggest runs of that '93 World Series.

Cito Gaston
Managing the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. Gaston’s calm leadership guided Toronto through the greatest era in club history and made him the first Black manager to win a World Series.

Pat Gillick
He was there from basically the very beginning, taking on the reigns as the team's GM in December of 1977, ahead of their second season as a franchise. He built a core that competed through the 1980's and turned that competitive team into World Series champions in 1992 and 1993. Gillick’s signature Blue Jays achievement is being the architect of the franchise’s golden era, assembling the core and making the bold additions that pushed Toronto over the top.

Roy Halladay
Winning the 2003 American League Cy Young Award. Halladay’s Cy Young season confirmed his transformation into one of baseball’s elite pitchers and remains the signature achievement of his dominant Blue Jays tenure.

Buck Martinez
His long-running identity as one of the voices of Blue Jays baseball. Martinez played for the team and later managed it, but his signature Blue Jays legacy is the way his broadcasting career made him a familiar presence for generations of fans.

Dave Stieb
Throwing the first no-hitter in Blue Jays history on Sept. 2, 1990. After years of agonizing near-misses, Stieb finally finished the job and delivered one of the most satisfying individual moments in franchise history.

Whether it was a home run, a no-hitter, an MVP season, a championship roster or a call that fans can still repeat word for word, each Hall of Excellence member has left imprint on the franchise.

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