1987 Toronto Blue Jays Season
The 1987 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 11th season of Major League Baseball. It resulted in the Blue Jays finishing second in the American League East with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses. They had been in first place by 3½ games over the Detroit Tigers with a week left to play, but they dropped their next seven games in a row, capped off by a sweep at the hands of Detroit at Tiger Stadium on the last weekend of the season, and lost the division by two games. Offseason * October 20, 1986: Dennis Lamp was released by the Blue Jays. * February 2, 1987: Luis Leal and Dámaso García were traded by the Blue Jays to the Atlanta Braves for Craig McMurtry. * March 26, 1987: Ron Shepherd was released by the Blue Jays. Regular season * Blue Jays left fielder George Bell drove in 134 runs to lead the American League, along with 47 home runs, and was selected the league's Most Valuable Player in a close vote over the Tigers' Alan Trammell. *Tom Henke established himself ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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 Major League Baseball postseason, 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 pla ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The NL and AL were formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively. Beginning in 1903, the two leagues signed the National Agreement and cooperated but remained legally separate entities until 2000, when they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball. MLB is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. It is also included as one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Baseball's first all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded in 1869. Before that, some teams had secretly paid certain players. The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one te ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tom Henke
Thomas Anthony Henke (born December 21, 1957), nicknamed "the Terminator", is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers (1982–1984, 1993–1994), Toronto Blue Jays (1985–1992), and St. Louis Cardinals (1995). On the mound, Henke was easily recognizable by the large-rimmed glasses he wore at a time when many players began using contact lenses. At a height of 6' 5", he cast an imposing figure and dominated batters with his hard fastball early in the count, and his forkball for the strikeout. Henke struck out 9.8 batters per 9 innings pitched over his career. Early life Tom Henke was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and started out throwing every night to his father, who caught his pitches while sitting on a five-gallon bucket. "Every kid should have a dad like that", Henke said. He grew up in Taos, Missouri and attended Blair Oaks High School. After hig ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell ( ; born February 21, 1958) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, manager and coach and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player. His entire 20-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) was with the Detroit Tigers. He currently serves as a special assistant to the General Manager of the Detroit Tigers. Trammell won a World Series championship in over his hometown San Diego Padres, earning Series MVP honors, and an American League East division championship in 1987. Although his arm was not overpowering, he had a quick release and made accurate throws, ultimately winning four Gold Glove awards. Trammell's defense perfectly complemented his double-play partner, Lou Whitaker. The two formed the longest continuous double-play combination in major league history, playing 19 seasons together. At the plate, Trammell was one of the best-hitting shortstops of his era and won three Silver Slugger awards. Trammell later serv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Until 2020, the winners received the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award, which became the official name of the award in 1944, in honor of the first MLB commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who served from 1920 until his death on November 25, 1944. Starting in 2020, Landis’ name no longer appeared on the MVP trophy after the BBWAA received complaints from several former MVP winners about the late Commissioner’s role against integration of MLB. MVP voting takes place before the postseason, but the results are not announced until after the World Series. The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961.Gillette & Palmer, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major league status. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season, 25 years after the formation of the National League (the "Senior Circuit"). At the end of every season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion; two seasons did not end in playing a World Series (1904, when the National League champion New York Giants refused to play their AL counterpart, and 1994, when a players' strike prevented the Series). Through 2021, American League teams have won 66 of the 117 World Series played since 1903, with 27 of those coming from the New York Yankees alone. The New York ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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George Bell (outfielder)
Jorge Antonio Bell Mathey (born October 21, 1959), better known as George Bell, is a Dominican former left fielder and American League MVP in Major League Baseball who played 12 seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays (1981, 1983–1990), Chicago Cubs (1991) and Chicago White Sox (1992–1993). Bell batted and threw right-handed. Career Originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978, Bell was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1980 Rule 5 draft. Bell was discovered in the Dominican Republic by Blue Jays scout Epy Guerrero. His first season as a regular was in , when he first teamed with fellow outfielders Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield. That outfield, along with solid starting pitching, led the Blue Jays to their first-ever American League East division title in . Bell caught a fly ball, off the bat of Ron Hassey, for the final out in the 5–1 victory over the New York Yankees on October 5, clinching the division title for the Blue Jays. Despite Bell's .321 ave ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ron Shepherd
Ronald Wayne Shepherd (born October 27, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. The former outfielder played part of three seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1984 until 1986, for the Toronto Blue Jays; his pro career lasted 15 years (1979–93), including four years in the Mexican League. The native of Longview, Texas, stood tall, weighed , and threw and batted right-handed. Career Shepherd was selected by Toronto in the second round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft out of Kilgore High School. During the closing month of the 1984 season, the Blue Jays recalled Shepherd from the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, and during his big league debut he appeared in 12 games, nine as a pinch runner. He was hitless in four plate appearances. He split 1985 between Toronto and Syracuse, and got into 38 games with the Blue Jays, but made only four hits in 35 at bats. Then, in 1986, he was recalled from Syracuse in late May and spent the last four months of the season ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Craig McMurtry
Joe Craig McMurtry (born November 5, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves (1983–86), Texas Rangers (1988–90) and Houston Astros (1995). He was named the athletic director at Temple College in 2013. Career In 1982, McMurtry was Pitcher of the Year for the International League's Richmond Braves. In 1983, he finished seventh in voting for the National League Cy Young Award and second in voting for National League Rookie of the Year, to Darryl Strawberry, for having a 15–9 record with a 3.08 ERA in 36 games, 35 of them started. He also completed six games and shutout three. In eight seasons, he had a 28–42 win–loss record, 212 games, 79 games started, six complete games, three shutouts, 36 games finished, four saves, innings pitched, 650 hits allowed, 341 runs allowed, 303 earned runs allowed, 54 home runs allowed, 336 walks allowed, 349 strikeouts, 10 hit batsmen, 18 wild pitches, 2,921 batters faced, 17 intentional walks ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves were founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, as the Boston Red Stockings. After various name changes, the team eventually began operating as the Boston Braves in 1912, which lasted for most of the first half of the 20th century. Then, in 1953, the team relocation of professional sports teams, moved to Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became the Milwaukee Braves, followed by their move to Atlanta in 1966. The name "Braves" originates from Braves (Native Americans), a term for a Native American warrior. They are List of baseball nicknames, nicknamed "the Bravos", and often referred to as "America's Team#Other uses, America's Team" in reference to the team's games being broadcast nationally on Braves TBS Baseball, TBS from the 1970s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dámaso García
Dámaso Domingo García Sánchez (7 February 1957 – 15 April 2020) was a Dominican professional baseball second baseman, best known for his time spent with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB), in the 1980s. García was originally a footballer. In 1974, he was the club captain of Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra. That year, García also played as the captain for the Dominican Republic national football team at the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo. Playing career García made his major league debut in 1978 with the New York Yankees. He played in 29 games over the following two seasons, before being traded with Chris Chambliss and Paul Mirabella to the Toronto Blue Jays for Tom Underwood, Rick Cerone, and Ted Wilborn, prior to the 1980 season. As Toronto's regular second baseman from 1980 through 1986, García batted over .300 twice (1982 and 1983), with his .310 mark placing him 6th in the American League (AL), in 1982. García ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Luis Leal (baseball)
Luis Enrique Leal Alvarado (born March 21, 1957) is a Venezuelan former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1980 through 1985 for the Toronto Blue Jays. Playing career Leal signed with the Blue Jays as an amateur free agent before the start of the 1979 season. His most productive season came in 1984, when he posted a record of 13–8, with a 3.89 ERA and 134 strikeouts. In a six-year major league career, Leal had a record of 51–58 with a 4.14 ERA, 491 strikeouts, and three shutouts in 946 innings pitched. After spending most of the 1985 and 1986 seasons with the Triple A Syracuse Chiefs, Leal was traded to the Atlanta Braves with Damaso Garcia for Craig McMurtry in February 1987. He never played for Atlanta, as he did not make the spring training roster nor any of Atlanta's minor league teams. At the time of his retirement, Leal ranked behind only Jim Clancy and Dave Stieb among the Blue Jays' career leaders in starts, innings, wins, losses, strike ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |