Remembering the 1985 Blue Jays 30 years later: Part 2

Part 2: These Are My Blue Jays

                At this year’s All-Star Game in Cincinnati, Major League Baseball unveiled the “Franchise Four”, a look at what fans voted as the best four players in the history of every team in the league.

                The four players picked from the Toronto Blue Jays were Carlos Delgado, Roy Halladay, Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. I disagreed. I didn’t expect any of the Jays from the eighties to make this list but I was still disappointed when none of them did. As I mentioned in the first part of this series, the 1985 Toronto Blue Jays are the number one team in my heart and always will be. I will always regard them as some of the best in franchise history.

                As the 1985 season wore on, I got to know these players through the radio and TV and reading about them in the newspapers and books I borrowed from the library. They were a part of my childhood and my heart broke every time one of them was traded away, signed elsewhere as a free agent or retired from the game.

                Here, then, are some of my heroes of 1985.

Manager: Bobby Cox

                Cox is best remembered for managing the Atlanta Braves to 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 until 2005 (1994 was the strike year). But Cox also managed the Jays from 1982-1985. He is still third on the Jays’ all-time winningest managers list with 355 wins, behind Cito Gaston and John Gibbons.

Starting Pitchers: 

Dave Stieb

                With all due respect to Roy Halladay, the best pitcher in Blue Jays’ history is Dave Stieb. Originally an outfielder, Stieb made the switch to pitcher when he realized his potential of a long baseball career would better be fulfilled on the mound. Stieb’s win/loss record as a Blue Jay of 175-134 could have been much better if he had received better run support during his starts. As an example, in 1985, he led the American League with a 2.48 ERA, yet only finished with a 14-13 win/loss record due to a lack of run support.

Jimmy Key

                Jimmy Key’s first season with the Jays was 1984 and his debut season was as a reliever. He recorded 10 saves before being moved to the starting rotation in 1985. Key would be a starter for the Jays until the 1992 season, and he ended on a high, winning two games (one as a starter and one as a reliever) in the World Series.

Doyle Alexander

                Acquired from the Yankees during the 1983 season, Alexander would pitch for the Jays until a few months into the 1986 season when he was sent to the Atlanta Braves in a trade that brought future Jays’ closer Duane Ward to Toronto. Alexander won 46 games while with the Jays.

Jim Clancy

                One of the original Blue Jays taken in the 1977 expansion draft, Clancy pitched twelve years with the team. In 1985 he finished with a win/loss record of 9-6 and had an ERA of 3.78. Clancy reached double digits in wins eight times in his twelve seasons in Toronto.

Relief Pitcher: Dennis Lamp

                Lamp signed as a free agent with the Jays prior to the 1984 season, but it was in 1985 when he had his biggest impact in Toronto. In 53 games in relief, Lamp had an 11-0 win/loss record while saving two games in 105 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he and the Jays parted on bad terms following the 1986 season when Lamp accused the team of limiting his appearances to avoid paying him incentives that were in his contract.

Closer: Tom Henke

                Without a doubt, the best relief pitcher in Toronto history, Henke would go on to save a franchise record 217 games, while winning 29 in his eight years with the club. 1985 was his first in Toronto and he would prove to be the closer the Jays lacked in their first pursuits of the postseason in 1983 and 1984.

Catcher: Ernie Whitt

                Ernie Whitt was another of the original Blue Jays, taken in the expansion draft of 1977 and played with the team until 1989. Always a fan favourite, Whitt played in 1218 games for the Jays, batting .253 with 131 home runs and 534 RBI. He also provided a solid presence behind the plate and although he didn’t have the greatest arm in the game, he did throw out his share of would-be base stealers. Although he platooned with Buck Martinez, Whitt became the everyday catcher when Martinez broke his leg in July and was lost for the season.

First baseman: Willie Upshaw

                A solid defensive first baseman for the Jays from 1978 through 1987, Upshaw played in 1115 games, hitting 112 home runs while batting .265. Willie’s brother, Gene, was an NFL player for the Oakland Raiders and would become head of the NFL Player’s Union in later years.

Second baseman: Damaso Garcia

                Garcia played in 900 games over seven season with the Jays. He was an All-Star in 1984 and 1985. He batted .288 in his career for the Jays and stole 194 bases. Garcia was cursed with a moody disposition and would be sour with the media, his teammates and his manager when things didn’t go his way.

Shortstop: Tony Fernandez

                Without a doubt, the best shortstop in Blue Jays’ history. 1985 Fernandez first full season starting for the Jays after being a second-stringer in 1983 and 1984. He would have four different stints with the Jays during his career, his second coming half-way through the 1993 season and help the team win their second World Series.

Third basemen: Rance Mulliniks and Garth Iorg

                The combination of Iorg and Mulliniks at third base was perfect for the Jays of 1985. Iorg usually started games left-handed opposing pitchers, while Mulliniks would take the swings against righties. In 1985, Mulliniks hit .295 with 10 homers and 57 RBIs while Iorg batted .313 with 7 homers and 37 RBIs.

Outfielders: George Bell, Lloyd Moseby, Jesse Barfield

                It’s hard not to talk about these guys together, as they were once called the best outfield trio in baseball during the 1980s. Barfield (right field) had the best arm of the group and collected 22 assists in 1985, while contributing offensively with 27 homers, 84 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. Moseby (CF), perhaps the best all-round player the Jays had in the decade, hit 18 homers while stealing 37 bases and scoring 92 runs. Bell (LF) led the team with 28 home runs and 95 RBIs. He also added 21 stolen bases. Bell would last with the team the longest, departing after the 1990 season. He is still the only Blue Jay to win the American League MVP award (1987).

Designated Hitters: Cliff Johnson and Al Oliver

           Johnson, having played in Toronto in 1983 and 1984, signed with the Texas Rangers for the 1985 season. The Jays picked him up at the trade deadline and he was used as a DH primarily against left-handed pitchers the rest of the season.  Al Oliver, a member of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Championship team, was acquired by Toronto in July. He would serve as the DH against right-handed pitchers. The thing I remember most about this DH combo was that Oliver wore number “0” on his jersey, and Johnson wore number “00”.

             Now that I’ve introduced the characters, we’ll get to the dramatic scenes in Part 3.

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