The Toronto Blue Jays are making a return to the World Series after more than 30 years, with significant changes in the world, the city, and sports viewing habits since their last appearance. The Jays will face the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre on Friday, marking their first World Series appearance since their back-to-back championships in the early 1990s against the Atlanta Braves in 1992 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.
Many current fans and players such as Trey Yesavage, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Shane Bieber were not even born when Toronto last reached the pinnacle of baseball. To give some context to those unfamiliar with that era, here is a glimpse of Toronto’s atmosphere and celebrations during the Jays’ previous World Series appearances.
In the early 1990s, the Blue Jays enjoyed success, notably clinching the 1993 World Series in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Carter’s unforgettable home run in that game, accompanied by the iconic call from radio announcer Tom Cheek, “Touch ’em all, Joe,” remains a historic moment in Canadian sports. Fast forward to 2025, George Springer’s clutch home run in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series provided another memorable moment for fans, setting the stage for an anticipated showdown with the Dodgers.
While the Blue Jays thrived, the same could not be said for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who faced playoff disappointment in 1993 against Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings. The year also witnessed the last Stanley Cup victory by a Canadian team, as the Montreal Canadiens triumphed over the Kings in the final.
In other sports realms, the Toronto Argonauts had a challenging season, finishing fourth in the CFL’s East Division with a 3-15 record, missing out on the playoffs by a narrow margin. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors made their debut in 1995 as the NBA’s first Canadian team since the Toronto Huskies in 1947.
Toronto saw significant sporting events in 1993, including the inaugural Molson Indy at Exhibition Place, won by Toronto’s own Paul Tracy, and the 4th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics at the Skydome, now known as Rogers Centre, where Canada secured a fifth-place finish.
The cultural landscape in 1993 was marked by the dominance of grunge music, with Nirvana concluding their Toronto tour at Maple Leaf Gardens without performing their chart-topping hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” ruled the music charts, while TV shows like “Seinfeld” and “Home Improvement” captivated audiences. The year also saw the emergence of “The X-Files” as a science fiction phenomenon, alongside blockbuster movies such as “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List.”
On the political front, June Rowlands served as Toronto’s first female mayor from 1991 to 1994, within the Metropolitan Toronto framework. Kim Campbell made history as Canada’s first female prime minister in June 1993, succeeding Brian Mulroney, albeit for a brief tenure.
In the realm of buildings and transit, notable developments in 1993 included the reopening of the Hockey Hall of Fame at Brookfield Place and the opening of Medieval Times at Exhibition Place. The Princess of Wales Theatre debuted with the Canadian premiere of the musical “Miss Saigon.” However, modern landmarks like Vaughan Mills and Scotiabank Arena were yet to exist, while A&A Records, a Toronto-based record store chain, sadly closed its doors that year.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) completed the transition from trolley buses to diesel buses by 1993, marking a significant shift in the city’s public transportation system.