The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Blue Jays are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s American League (AL), and play their home games at Rogers Centre.
The "Blue Jays" name originates from the bird of the same name, and blue is also the traditional colour of Toronto's other professional sports teams: the Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Argonauts (Canadian football). In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt's Blue. Nicknamed "the Jays", the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, white, and red. An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at the SkyDome, upon its opening in 1989. Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications, and in 2004, the SkyDome was purchased by that company, which renamed the venue Rogers Centre. They are the second MLB franchise to be based outside the United States, and currently the only team based outside the U.S., after the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, relocated to Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season and became the Washington Nationals.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team, frequently finishing in last place in its division. In 1983, the team had its first winning season, and two years later, became division champions. From 1985–1993, the Blue Jays were an AL East powerhouse, winning five division championships in nine seasons, including three consecutive from 1991–93. During that run, the team also became back-to-back World Series champions from 1992–93, led by a core group of award-winning All-Star players, including Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, John Olerud, and Devon White. The Blue Jays became the first (and to date, only) team outside the U.S. to appear in and win a World Series, and the fastest AL expansion team to do so, winning in its 16th year. Since 1993, the Blue Jays have not made the playoffs, currently the longest playoff drought in Major League Baseball, though the team has remained competitive in its division.
The Blue Jays are one of three MLB teams under corporate ownership, with the other two being the Seattle Mariners (Nintendo of America) and the Atlanta Braves (Liberty Media).