The 1983 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's seventh season of Major League Baseball. For the first time in team history, Toronto avoided a last place finish in their division and recorded a winning record. The Blue Jays finishing fourth in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses, starting a streak of 11 consecutive winning seasons. It was the team's first season to use the song "OK Blue Jays" in the seventh-inning stretch.
1983 Toronto Blue Jays | ||
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League | American League | |
Division | East | |
Ballpark | Exhibition Stadium | |
City | Toronto | |
Record | 89–73 (.549) | |
Divisional place | 4th | |
Owners | Labatt Breweries, Imperial Trust, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce | |
General managers | Pat Gillick | |
Managers | Bobby Cox | |
Television | CFTO-TV (Don Chevrier, Tony Kubek, Fergie Olver) | |
Radio | CJCL (AM) (Jerry Howarth, Tom Cheek) | |
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Offseason
editTransactions
editTransactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 1983 season.[1]
October 1982
editOctober 27 | Purchased Tucker Ashford from the New York Yankees. |
November 1982
editNovember 1 | Signed amateur free agent Nelson Liriano. |
November 5 | Acquired Cliff Johnson from the Oakland Athletics for Alvis Woods. |
November 10 | Wayne Nordhagen granted free agency. |
December 1982
editDecember 6 | Drafted Jim Acker from the Atlanta Braves in the 1982 MLB Rule 5 draft. |
December 9 | Acquired Dave Collins, Fred McGriff, Mike Morgan and cash from the New York Yankees for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray. |
December 10 | Glenn Adams granted free agency. Acquired Don Cooper from the Minnesota Twins for Dave Baker. |
January 1983
editJanuary 18 | Player rights of Jerry Garvin sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. |
January 31 | Signed amateur free agent Enrique Burgos. |
February 1983
editFebruary 4 | Acquired Jorge Orta from the New York Mets for Steve Senteney. |
February 5 | Acquired Cecil Fielder from the Kansas City Royals for Leon Roberts. |
February 15 | Signed free agent Randy Moffitt from the Houston Astros to a contract. |
February 16 | Signed amateur free agent Tony Castillo to a contract. |
February 23 | Signed free agent Mickey Klutts from the Oakland Athletics to a contract. |
Regular season
edit- Willie Upshaw became the first Blue Jay to get over 100 RBIs with 104.
- On August 4, 1983, New York Yankee Dave Winfield, while warming up before the 5th inning of a game at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium, accidentally killed a seagull with a thrown ball. He doffed his cap in mock sorrow. Fans responded by hurling obscenities and improvised missiles. After the game, he was brought to the Ontario Provincial Police station on charges of cruelty to animals and was forced to post a $500 bond before being released. Quipped Yankees manager Billy Martin, "It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man." The charges were dropped the following day.[2] For years afterward Winfield's appearances in Toronto were greeted with loud choruses of boos, but he later became a fan favorite when he joined the team in 1992.
- During an August 24, 1983 game, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tippy Martinez picked off three Toronto Blue Jays baserunners in one inning. The baserunners were Barry Bonnell, Dave Collins and Willie Upshaw. [3]
Opening Day starters
edit- Dave Collins
- Dámaso García
- Jim Gott
- Alfredo Griffin
- Cliff Johnson
- Lloyd Moseby
- Rance Mulliniks
- Hosken Powell
- Willie Upshaw
- Ernie Whitt
Season standings
editTeam | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
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Baltimore Orioles | 98 | 64 | .605 | — | 50–31 | 48–33 |
Detroit Tigers | 92 | 70 | .568 | 6 | 48–33 | 44–37 |
New York Yankees | 91 | 71 | .562 | 7 | 51–30 | 40–41 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 89 | 73 | .549 | 9 | 48–33 | 41–40 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 87 | 75 | .537 | 11 | 52–29 | 35–46 |
Boston Red Sox | 78 | 84 | .481 | 20 | 38–43 | 40–41 |
Cleveland Indians | 70 | 92 | .432 | 28 | 36–45 | 34–47 |
Record vs. opponents
editSources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] | ||||||||||||||
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Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
Baltimore | — | 8–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 11–2 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 9–3 | 7–6 |
Boston | 5–8 | — | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 7–6 |
California | 5–7 | 6–6 | — | 3–10 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 4–8 |
Chicago | 5–7 | 6–6 | 10–3 | — | 8–4 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 4–8 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 8–5 | 12–1 | 8–5 | 5–7 |
Cleveland | 7–6 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 4–8 | — | 5–8 | 7–5 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 3–9 | 4–9 |
Detroit | 8–5 | 9–4 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 8–5 | — | 7–5 | 6–7 | 9–3 | 5–8 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 6–7 |
Kansas City | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 5–7 | — | 6–6 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 8–5–1 | 6–6 |
Milwaukee | 2–11 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 6–6 | — | 8–4 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 8–5 |
Minnesota | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 7–6 | 4–8 | — | 4–8 | 4–9 | 9–4 | 5–8 | 5–7 |
New York | 7–6 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 8–4 | — | 8–4 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 7–6 |
Oakland | 4–8 | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 4–8 | — | 9–4 | 2–11 | 6–6 |
Seattle | 4–8 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 1–12 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 4–9 | — | 6–7 | 4–8 |
Texas | 3–9 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 5–8–1 | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 11–2 | 7–6 | — | 4–8 |
Toronto | 6–7 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–4 | — |
Transactions
editTransactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1983 regular season.[4]
April 1983
editApril 5 | Returned Tucker Ashford to the New York Yankees following previous purchase. |
June 1983
editJune 21 | Signed free agent Doyle Alexander from the New York Yankees to a contract. |
July 1983
editJuly 7 | Signed free agent Alvis Woods from the Oakland Athletics to a contract. |
July 10 | Released Hosken Powell. |
September 1983
editSeptember 4 | Signed amateur free agent Gerónimo Berroa to a contract. |
Roster
edit1983 Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders |
Outfielders
Other batters
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Manager Coaches
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Game log
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April: 8–10 (Home: 4–4; Away: 4–6)
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May: 18–9 (Home: 12–6; Away: 6–3)
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June: 14–12 (Home: 6–3; Away: 8–9)
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July: 15–12 (Home: 8–8; Away: 7–4)
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August: 15–19 (Home: 7–5; Away: 8–12)
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September: 16–10 (Home: 10–5; Away: 6–5)
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Player stats
editBatting
editStarters by position
editNote: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
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C | Ernie Whitt | 123 | 344 | 53 | 88 | 15 | 2 | .256 | 17 | 56 | 1 |
1B | Willie Upshaw | 160 | 579 | 99 | 177 | 26 | 7 | .306 | 27 | 104 | 10 |
2B | Dámaso García | 131 | 525 | 84 | 161 | 23 | 6 | .307 | 3 | 38 | 31 |
3B | Rance Mulliniks | 129 | 364 | 54 | 100 | 34 | 3 | .275 | 10 | 49 | 0 |
SS | Alfredo Griffin | 162 | 528 | 62 | 132 | 22 | 9 | .250 | 4 | 47 | 8 |
LF | Dave Collins | 118 | 402 | 55 | 109 | 12 | 4 | .271 | 1 | 34 | 31 |
CF | Lloyd Moseby | 151 | 539 | 104 | 170 | 31 | 7 | .315 | 18 | 81 | 27 |
RF | Jesse Barfield | 128 | 388 | 58 | 98 | 13 | 3 | .253 | 27 | 68 | 2 |
DH | Cliff Johnson | 142 | 407 | 59 | 108 | 23 | 1 | .265 | 22 | 76 | 0 |
Other batters
editNote: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
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Barry Bonnell | 121 | 377 | 49 | 120 | 21 | 3 | .318 | 10 | 54 | 10 |
Garth Iorg | 122 | 375 | 40 | 103 | 22 | 5 | .275 | 2 | 39 | 7 |
Jorge Orta | 103 | 245 | 30 | 58 | 6 | 3 | .237 | 10 | 38 | 1 |
Buck Martinez | 88 | 221 | 27 | 56 | 14 | 0 | .253 | 10 | 33 | 0 |
George Bell | 39 | 112 | 5 | 30 | 5 | 4 | .268 | 2 | 17 | 1 |
Hosken Powell | 40 | 83 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | .169 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
Mickey Klutts | 22 | 43 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | .256 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Tony Fernández | 15 | 34 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | .265 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Mitch Webster | 11 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .182 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Geno Petralli | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
editStarting pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
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Dave Stieb | 36 | 36 | 278.0 | 17 | 12 | 3.04 | 105 | 94 | 93 | 187 |
Jim Clancy | 34 | 34 | 223.0 | 15 | 11 | 3.91 | 115 | 97 | 61 | 99 |
Luis Leal | 35 | 35 | 217.1 | 13 | 12 | 4.31 | 113 | 104 | 65 | 116 |
Jim Gott | 34 | 30 | 176.2 | 9 | 14 | 4.74 | 103 | 93 | 68 | 121 |
Doyle Alexander | 17 | 15 | 116.2 | 7 | 6 | 3.93 | 55 | 51 | 26 | 46 |
Matt Williams | 4 | 3 | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 14.63 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 5 |
Other pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
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Jim Acker | 38 | 5 | 97.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4.33 | 52 | 47 | 38 | 44 |
Mike Morgan | 16 | 4 | 45.1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5.16 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 22 |
Relief pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
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Randy Moffitt | 45 | 57.1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 3.77 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 38 |
Joey McLaughlin | 50 | 64.2 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 4.45 | 33 | 32 | 37 | 47 |
Roy Lee Jackson | 49 | 92.0 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4.50 | 48 | 46 | 41 | 48 |
Dave Geisel | 47 | 52.1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 4.64 | 28 | 27 | 31 | 50 |
Stan Clarke | 10 | 11.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.27 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
Don Cooper | 4 | 5.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
Award winners
edit- Lloyd Moseby, Player of the Month Award, August
- Lloyd Moseby, Silver Slugger Award
- Dave Stieb, Pitcher of the Month Award, May
- Dave Stieb, Starting Pitcher[5]
Farm system
editNotes
edit- ^ "1983 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ Jane, Gross (August 6, 1983). "Winfield charges will be dropped". The New York Times. p. 1.29.
- ^ 100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Dan Connolly, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62937-041-5, p.188
- ^ "1983 Toronto Blue Jays Trades and Transactions". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ Blue Jays All-Stars | bluejays.com: History
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
External links
edit- 1983 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball Reference
- 1983 Toronto Blue Jays at Baseball Almanac