This Day in Blue Jays’
History: July 31, 2011
It was on this day in 2011 that
former Blue Jays’ second baseman Roberto Alomar became the first player to have
his uniform number retired by the Toronto club. To date, he remains the only
player in franchise history to have received that honour. Seven days earlier,
Alomar became the first player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame wearing a
Blue Jays’ cap on his plaque.
Three weeks ago, we featured
Alomar on our Top 40 All-time Blue Jays list. To see hi-lights of his career,
click here to read that profile.
Besides Alomar, four other
players in the Hall played for Toronto at some point during their careers.
Rickey Henderson played for Toronto in 1993 and was inducted into the Hall in
2009. Dave Winfield played for the Jays in 1992 and was inducted into the Hall
in 2001. Paul Molitor (inducted in 2004) played three seasons for Toronto
(1993-95). And finally, Phil Niekro (inducted 1997) pitched three games for the
Jays in 1987.
At Rogers Centre, the Jays have a
“Level of Excellence” where former players and other contributors to the
organization are honoured. Besides Alomar, those include players George Bell,
Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez and Dave Stieb, manager Cito Gaston,
executives Pat Gillick and Paul Beeston, and broadcaster Tom Cheek.
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