Part 19 – Toronto’s rise to prominence – 1982-1993
Two members of the last Giants’ team in Minnesota, Jack Clark and Greg Minton, played key parts in their first pennant in Toronto.
The Giants had floundered enough by 1975 that the owners felt it best to start from scratch. Hence, there was no trading for Darrell Evans or other players they thought might make them contend for a short while; the club had been fighting Montreal for last, and they’d have a honeymoon period in Toronto.
Jack Clark decided to stay for a while; he was the Giants’ only star for a few years. And, a good one at that. Still, there were rumblings that he’d prefer to go back to the states after a while.
For now, he had a contract that ran through 1985. Toronto really began their rise in 1982, with the Phillies winning the division, but the Giants only 9 games back. In fact, they knocked the Dodgers out on the last day of the season. It was an amazing year in which nine games separated first from last!
1983 saw the Giants take another major step forward. The difference was the Dodgers manhandling the Phillies in head to head play. Brooklyn wound up 2 games ahead of the Giants at seasons’ end, after both clubs fell back to earth in the final couple months, and 4 ahead of the Phillies. Motnreal, for all their promise, had only won one half division.
1984 saw the first World Series played in Canada, as the Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb outdueled Rick Sutcliffe 3-2 in game 1 of the NLCS, then after a Cub win in game 2, the Blue Jays won game 3. The Cubs won game 4 in 11 innings, but Stieb won game 5 in Wrigley to deny the Cubs their 2nd pennant since 1945; it had been a Cub team with plenty of veterans, much like 1969’s team. The fact Chicagoans had seen the World Series only 15 years earlier led Rick Sutcliffe to leave for Kansas City.
Once Toronto made the World Series, the Blue Jays lose game 1 to Jack Morris, but beat Dan Petry in game 2. However, they got no further, as Detroit swept them in Toronto, with Kirk Gibson’s long home run off Minton in game 5 putting the icing on the cake as the Tigers celebrated a World Series title.
The Giants needed to figure out what to do. They could try to sign Clark, but they’d had a tricky outfield rotation, with Lloyd Moseby leading off in center, and George Bell, Jesse Barfield, and Jack Clark at the corner outifled spots. Clark also played first base against lefties, replacing Willie Upshaw, who’d slipped from his great year last year; essentially, Upshaw and Barfield platooned. The Giants had an excellent farm system, so it was decided to trade Clark, as the Cardinals needed a first baseman after the trade of Keith Hernandez to L.A.. David Green looked like a star in the making, and a possible leadoff man; the Giants figured he could lead off, allowing one of the outfielders or Upshaw to be traded, as Green could play first or the outfield.
It didn’t work out. Amazingly, not only was Green not the star they expected, he still ended up platooning at first because after Upshaw’s excellent 1983, he fell fast.
The Cardinals beat the Blue Jays for the pennant in 1985 – after another thrilling race with the Dodgers, this one a Giants victory - before losing the World Series to the Royals. Then, the Giants lost to the Phillies by 2 games in 1986 – a pennant race where the Indians finished only 3 games back! Finally, they got the pennant race they’d hoped for with the Expos; it materialized unexpectedly in 1987.
Montreal, with Toronto in their division, had been losing fans for years, and the club was desperate enough to reclaim what they saw as their right to be Canada’s team. They had only finished 9 behind Toronto in 1986. SO, while they feared Andre Dawson’s back would hamper him, and let him go, they did sign Tim Raines before he had a chance to be out till May 1, with the collusion in place. This helped them a lot, and the lack of other good teams in the East that year meant the race was all Toronto and Montreal.
In the end, Toronto was up by 3.5 with 7 games to play, when injuries struck. The Clue Jays had swept 3 games at Montreal the previous weekend, then on the last weekend, the Expos took 3 straight from Toronto, to win by two games. They’d finally won a division, after falling short so many times.
The Dodgers won the division in 1988, and then in 1989, Toronto and Montreal had another good pennant race. This time, when the Expos traded for Mark Langston, most figured the young Expos would take it. However, they blew a lead and let the Giants take the pennant, although not in as heartbreaking a manner as the Giants had lost in 1987. However, Toronto lost the pennant to the Padres.
The Toronto Giants lost the next two division to the Pirates, but came close to winning in 1991. Then, they signed Jack Morris from the world champion Twins, and tried to trade for a centerfielder and/or a leadoff man. The Seals had gotten quite old in 1991, as they fell below .500 and into 6th, and despite Dennis Eckersley they didn’t look capable of making it to the playoffs in ’92 (they finished 85-77, in 4th, just behind Texas and Denver). They knew Rickey Henderson wasn’t as good in center anymore, yet thought another team could get another year out of him there. Yet, they had Kevin Mitchell, and also planned to go aggressively after Barry Bonds in the offseason.
So, the Seals sent Henderson to the Toronto Giants for several young players, where he played Center and led off. He led the Giants to their first world title since 1965. Toronto had also signed Jack Morris as a free agent from the Twins, and made several other moves – such as getting Devon White from Houston as the trade deadline, to help fix a crowded Astro outfield. They won in a great pennant race with the Pirates. Even then, some said it might not have been enough, except the Pirates weren’t quite as determined, having already won the pennant in 1991, as they might have been. The Giants finished with 96 wins, the Pirates with 94. Toronto beat Minnesota in the Series.
Toronto finished this great run with another great pennant race the following year, too. They, the Expos, and the Phillies matched up in a great year that many said was the “last true pennant race” with the wild card coming in ext season. The winner was worn out, and lost the pennant to the Houston Astros, winners of 88. The Astros lost that year’s World Series to the Atlanta Athletics.
Two members of the last Giants’ team in Minnesota, Jack Clark and Greg Minton, played key parts in their first pennant in Toronto.
The Giants had floundered enough by 1975 that the owners felt it best to start from scratch. Hence, there was no trading for Darrell Evans or other players they thought might make them contend for a short while; the club had been fighting Montreal for last, and they’d have a honeymoon period in Toronto.
Jack Clark decided to stay for a while; he was the Giants’ only star for a few years. And, a good one at that. Still, there were rumblings that he’d prefer to go back to the states after a while.
For now, he had a contract that ran through 1985. Toronto really began their rise in 1982, with the Phillies winning the division, but the Giants only 9 games back. In fact, they knocked the Dodgers out on the last day of the season. It was an amazing year in which nine games separated first from last!
1983 saw the Giants take another major step forward. The difference was the Dodgers manhandling the Phillies in head to head play. Brooklyn wound up 2 games ahead of the Giants at seasons’ end, after both clubs fell back to earth in the final couple months, and 4 ahead of the Phillies. Motnreal, for all their promise, had only won one half division.
1984 saw the first World Series played in Canada, as the Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb outdueled Rick Sutcliffe 3-2 in game 1 of the NLCS, then after a Cub win in game 2, the Blue Jays won game 3. The Cubs won game 4 in 11 innings, but Stieb won game 5 in Wrigley to deny the Cubs their 2nd pennant since 1945; it had been a Cub team with plenty of veterans, much like 1969’s team. The fact Chicagoans had seen the World Series only 15 years earlier led Rick Sutcliffe to leave for Kansas City.
Once Toronto made the World Series, the Blue Jays lose game 1 to Jack Morris, but beat Dan Petry in game 2. However, they got no further, as Detroit swept them in Toronto, with Kirk Gibson’s long home run off Minton in game 5 putting the icing on the cake as the Tigers celebrated a World Series title.
The Giants needed to figure out what to do. They could try to sign Clark, but they’d had a tricky outfield rotation, with Lloyd Moseby leading off in center, and George Bell, Jesse Barfield, and Jack Clark at the corner outifled spots. Clark also played first base against lefties, replacing Willie Upshaw, who’d slipped from his great year last year; essentially, Upshaw and Barfield platooned. The Giants had an excellent farm system, so it was decided to trade Clark, as the Cardinals needed a first baseman after the trade of Keith Hernandez to L.A.. David Green looked like a star in the making, and a possible leadoff man; the Giants figured he could lead off, allowing one of the outfielders or Upshaw to be traded, as Green could play first or the outfield.
It didn’t work out. Amazingly, not only was Green not the star they expected, he still ended up platooning at first because after Upshaw’s excellent 1983, he fell fast.
The Cardinals beat the Blue Jays for the pennant in 1985 – after another thrilling race with the Dodgers, this one a Giants victory - before losing the World Series to the Royals. Then, the Giants lost to the Phillies by 2 games in 1986 – a pennant race where the Indians finished only 3 games back! Finally, they got the pennant race they’d hoped for with the Expos; it materialized unexpectedly in 1987.
Montreal, with Toronto in their division, had been losing fans for years, and the club was desperate enough to reclaim what they saw as their right to be Canada’s team. They had only finished 9 behind Toronto in 1986. SO, while they feared Andre Dawson’s back would hamper him, and let him go, they did sign Tim Raines before he had a chance to be out till May 1, with the collusion in place. This helped them a lot, and the lack of other good teams in the East that year meant the race was all Toronto and Montreal.
In the end, Toronto was up by 3.5 with 7 games to play, when injuries struck. The Clue Jays had swept 3 games at Montreal the previous weekend, then on the last weekend, the Expos took 3 straight from Toronto, to win by two games. They’d finally won a division, after falling short so many times.
The Dodgers won the division in 1988, and then in 1989, Toronto and Montreal had another good pennant race. This time, when the Expos traded for Mark Langston, most figured the young Expos would take it. However, they blew a lead and let the Giants take the pennant, although not in as heartbreaking a manner as the Giants had lost in 1987. However, Toronto lost the pennant to the Padres.
The Toronto Giants lost the next two division to the Pirates, but came close to winning in 1991. Then, they signed Jack Morris from the world champion Twins, and tried to trade for a centerfielder and/or a leadoff man. The Seals had gotten quite old in 1991, as they fell below .500 and into 6th, and despite Dennis Eckersley they didn’t look capable of making it to the playoffs in ’92 (they finished 85-77, in 4th, just behind Texas and Denver). They knew Rickey Henderson wasn’t as good in center anymore, yet thought another team could get another year out of him there. Yet, they had Kevin Mitchell, and also planned to go aggressively after Barry Bonds in the offseason.
So, the Seals sent Henderson to the Toronto Giants for several young players, where he played Center and led off. He led the Giants to their first world title since 1965. Toronto had also signed Jack Morris as a free agent from the Twins, and made several other moves – such as getting Devon White from Houston as the trade deadline, to help fix a crowded Astro outfield. They won in a great pennant race with the Pirates. Even then, some said it might not have been enough, except the Pirates weren’t quite as determined, having already won the pennant in 1991, as they might have been. The Giants finished with 96 wins, the Pirates with 94. Toronto beat Minnesota in the Series.
Toronto finished this great run with another great pennant race the following year, too. They, the Expos, and the Phillies matched up in a great year that many said was the “last true pennant race” with the wild card coming in ext season. The winner was worn out, and lost the pennant to the Houston Astros, winners of 88. The Astros lost that year’s World Series to the Atlanta Athletics.