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1984 Toronto Blue Jays Season
The 1984 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's eighth season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing second in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses. Offseason * November 14, 1983: Sil Campusano was signed by the Blue Jays as an amateur free agent. * December 5, 1983: Kelly Gruber was drafted by the Blue Jays from the Cleveland Indians in the 1983 rule 5 draft. * January 10, 1984: Dennis Lamp was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays. Regular season * August 19, 1984: In a game against the Oakland Athletics, Cliff Johnson hit the 19th pinch home run of his career, breaking Jerry Lynch's record of 18. * Jimmy Key set a team record for rookie pitchers by appearing in 63 games. * Lloyd Moseby and Dave Collins each led the American League with 15 triples. * Rance Mulliniks sets a team record by getting 8 consecutive hits. * Dave Stieb finished second in the American League in strikeouts and ERA. Opening Day starters * Ji ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American League East
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before the start of the season along with the American League West division. Before that time, each league consisted of 10 teams without any divisions. Four of the division's five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other team, the Toronto Blue Jays, in Eastern Canada. It is currently the only division that contains a non-American team. At the end of the MLB season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the AL's six playoff spots. The most recent team to win this division was the New York Yankees in . History Baseball writers have long posited that the American League East is the toughest division in MLB; during its 50-year existence, an AL East team has gone on to play in the World Series 27 times, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kelly Gruber
Kelly Wayne Gruber (born February 26, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman. Early life Gruber was born on February 26, 1962. Gruber played baseball at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, where his number was later retired. Early career He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 1st round (10th pick) of the 1980 amateur draft but did not sign with the team. On December 5, 1983, the Toronto Blue Jays picked him up in the Rule 5 draft. Gruber saw his first MLB action shortly thereafter, playing in his first game on April 20, 1984. Over the next three seasons, he split time between MLB and the minor leagues, earning an everyday spot in the Toronto line-up by 1987. The Toronto media quickly nicknamed him "Xanthos" (meaning blonde) after his long flowing blonde hair. During his stay in Toronto he was voted the city's most eligible bachelor. Best years On April 16, 1989, Gruber was the first Blue Jay in history to hit for the cycle when he got four hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Stieb
Dave Andrew Stieb (; born July 22, 1957) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. A seven-time All-Star, he also won ''The Sporting News'' Pitcher of the Year Award in 1982. Stieb won 140 games in the 1980s, the second-highest total by a pitcher in that decade, behind only Jack Morris. Playing career Born in Santa Ana, California, Stieb played varsity baseball at Southern Illinois University as an outfielder. Scouted by Bobby Mattick and Al LaMacchia of the Blue Jays as an outfield prospect in a varsity game, Stieb's performance failed to impress until he was pressed into service as a relief pitcher. His pitching surprised and convinced the Blue Jays to draft him. He played for the Blue Jays from 1979 to 1992 and again in 1998. On September 2, 1990, he pitched the first (and, , only) no-hitter in Blue Jays history, defeating the Cleveland Indians 3–0. Previously, on September 24 and 30, 1988, Stieb had no-hitters broken ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rance Mulliniks
Steven Rance Mulliniks (born January 15, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball player. Playing career Originally drafted as a shortstop, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels, batting .269 in 78 games. He saw limited playing time over the following years with the California Angels until and with the Kansas City Royals in and . He had been traded along with Willie Aikens from the Angels to the Royals for Al Cowens and Todd Cruz at the Winter Meetings in Toronto on December 6, 1979, with Craig Eaton being sent to California to complete the transaction four months later on April 1, 1980. Mulliniks' luck changed when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, just before the start of the season. He was converted to third base and appeared in over 100 games each year through the season. He batted over .300 three times (, and ) and demonstrated great patience at the plate, regularly posting on-base percentages near .400. In 1984 ''Spor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Collins
David S. Collins (born October 20, 1952) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball from to . Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the Rapid City Post 22 American Legion baseball program in Rapid City, South Dakota. The other two are Kelvin Torve and Mark Ellis. All three were graduates of Stevens High School in Rapid City. Collins currently holds the Toronto Blue Jays single season stolen base record with 60 steals in 1984. Playing career Minors David S. Collins was drafted in the first round of the 1972 draft from Mesa Community College by the California Angels. Collins made his professional debut with the Angels Rookie ball team in Idaho Falls and moved up through the Angels farm system, with stops in Single-A Quad City and Salinas, Double-A El Paso and Triple-A Salt Lake City. Collins was dubbed "fastest white man in baseball" because he ran the 100-yard dash in 9.6 seconds and had high stolen base totals. Cal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lloyd Moseby
Lloyd Anthony Moseby (born November 5, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball player. A center fielder, and good all-around athlete, Moseby's nickname, Shaker, was said to stem from his ability to get away from or "shake" players who attempted to defend him on the basketball court. Career Born in Portland, Arkansas, Moseby graduated from Oakland High School in Oakland, California. Moseby's primary sport in high school was basketball and he did not take baseball seriously until his sophomore year of high school. Moseby had committed to play college basketball for St. Mary's, one of 75 schools to offer him a basketball scholarship, if he had not decided to sign with the Blue Jays. Drafted 2nd overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1978 amateur draft, Moseby made his major league debut on May 24, 1980. Despite some growing pains early in his career, Moseby developed into a well-polished batter, fielder, and base-runner, driving in nearly 100 runs in three seasons (198 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Key
James Edward Key (born April 22, 1961) is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1984–1992), New York Yankees (1993–1996), and Baltimore Orioles (1997–1998). His best personal years were in 1987, when he posted a 17–8 record with a league-leading 2.76 ERA, and in 1993, when he went 18–6 with a 3.00 ERA and 173 strikeouts. With the Blue Jays, he won the 1992 World Series and with the Yankees, he won the 1996 World Series, both over the Atlanta Braves. Career High school Key was an outstanding baseball player at S. R. Butler High School in Huntsville, Alabama. He compiled a 10–0 record, and had nine shutouts and a 0.30 ERA in his senior year. Key was also an excellent hitter, batting .410 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in his high school career. Clemson University Key attended Clemson University, where he played college baseball for the Clemson Tigers baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). At ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Lynch
Gerald Thomas Lynch (July 17, 1930 – March 31, 2012), nicknamed "The Hat", "Lynch The Pinch" and "The Allison Park Sweeper", was an American professional baseball outfielder who ranked among the most prolific pinch hitters in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. He played 13 seasons (1954-1966) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. Lynch was a central figure for the Reds in the 1961 season, which saw them capture their first National League pennant in 21 years. He finished 22nd in the NL Most Valuable Player vote despite a mere 181 at-bats that season. In 1988, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. In his career, Lynch hit .277 on 798 hits, 123 doubles, 34 triples and 115 home runs in 1,184 games. He had 470 RBI, 364 runs scored and 224 walks along with .329 on-base and .463 slugging percentages. Lynch in a pinch Because of limited range in the field and an inability to hit left-handed pitchers consistently at the plate, Lynch never played more tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home Run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is usually achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or hitting either foul pole) without the ball touching the field. Far less common is the " inside-the-park" home run where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field. When a home run is scored, the batter is credited with a hit and a run scored, and a run batted in (RBI) for each runner that scores, including himself. Likewise, the pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit and a run, with additional runs charged for each runner that scores other than the batter. Home runs are among the most popular aspects of baseball and, as a result, prolific home run hitters are usually the most popular among fans and consequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinch Hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, American football or ice hockey, and in a similar way to association football, baseball does not have a "free substitution rule" (at the professional level) and thus the replaced player is not allowed back into that game. The pinch hitter assumes the spot in the batting order of the player whom he replaces. Pinch hitters are commonly used to replace a weak hitter (often the pitcher) or to gain a platoon advantage. The player chosen to be a pinch hitter is often a backup infielder or outfielder whose defensive skills are limited. In Major League Baseball (MLB), catchers are less likely to be called upon to pinch-hit, because most teams have only two catchers. Pitchers are rarely used as pinch hitters, because they tend to be worse hitters than othe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cliff Johnson (baseball)
Clifford "Heathcliff" Johnson, Jr. (born July 22, 1947) is a retired Major League Baseball player who played for the Houston Astros (1972–1977), New York Yankees (1977–1979), Cleveland Indians (1979–1980), Chicago Cubs (1980), Oakland Athletics (1981–82), Toronto Blue Jays (1983–84, 1985–1986) and Texas Rangers (1985). He batted and threw right-handed and split time between catcher, first baseman, and outfielder in the early part of his Major League career before becoming primarily a full-time designated hitter. Career As a catcher at San Antonio's Wheatley High School in 1965, Johnson was the 83rd pick in the 1966 baseball draft by the Houston Astros. After six seasons in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut on September 13, 1972, and played for the Astros until partway through the 1977 season, when he was traded to the Yankees. Johnson was a member of the 1977 and 1978 Yankees World Series championship teams, both over the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team plays its home games at the Oakland Coliseum. Throughout their history, the Athletics have won nine World Series championships. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the team was founded in Philadelphia in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. They won three World Series championships in 1910, 1911, and 1913, and back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930. The team's owner and manager for its first 50 years was Connie Mack and Hall of Fame players included Chief Bender, Frank "Home Run" Baker, Jimmie Foxx, and Lefty Grove. The team left Philadelphia for Kansas City in 1955 and became the Kansas City Athletics before moving to Oakland in 1968. Nicknamed the " Swingin' A's", they won three consecutive World Series ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
