When the ballots were counted after Phase 2 of 2021 MLB All-Star Game voting, the Toronto Blue Jays had not just one, but three players named as All-Star Game starters. No Blue Jays player had represented the team as a starter since Josh Donaldson in 2015. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who led Phase 1 voting, Marcus Semien and Teoscar Hernández will all be part of the starting lineup for the American League at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. While the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox will have the most total representatives with five (boooooo), the Blue Jays will have more starters than any other team in the 2021 All-Star Game.
According to the writeup by Sarah Langs, Tom Harrigan and Manny Randhawa, the last time the Jays had three or more starters in the All-Star Game was in 1994. The Blue Jays had four starters that year: Roberto Alomar; Joe Carter; Paul Molitor and John Olerud. Alomar and Molitor have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
1994 was the year after the Jays’ back-to-back World Series championships of 1992 and 1993 over the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively. That team went on to finish with a record of 55-60, placing third in the American League East Division. The 1994 season came to an end after the strike which began on August 12 of that year. No postseason was played.
On Sunday, Bo Bichette was named as a reserve member of the American League All-Stars, bringing the Jays’ total representation in the 2021 Midsummer Classic up to four players. This is a sign the team has turned the corner in its retooling process and fans are engaged.
The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 13th. Tune in starting at 7:30 PM ET to see if one of the Blue Jays’ representatives will hoist the MVP trophy.
Featured Image: Toronto, Canada – June 28, 2016: Sign of Toronto Blue Jays by Lester Balajadia / Shutterstock.com.
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