Tony Fernandez, widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in Blue Jays history, would have celebrated his 64th birthday today.
Fernandez still leads the franchise in games played (1,450) and hits (1,583), among other records. He also set single-season marks for singles (161) and triples (17), and is second among position players in bWAR with 37.5, narrowly behind Jose Bautista (38.4). This changes every time there is a tweak to the formula of bWAR. He was first a couple of years ago.
Fernandez had
four separate stints in Toronto. He debuted at age 21 in 1983 and played shortstop until 1990, when he and Fred McGriff were dealt to San Diego for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter—a franchise-altering trade.
In 1993, after Dick Schofield’s early-May injury, the Jays tried Alfredo Griffin and Domingo Cedeno at shortstop, but neither stuck. Toronto traded with the Mets to bring Tony back, and he delivered: hitting .306/.361/.442 in 94 games and helping the Jays win another World Series.
After the season, Fernandez signed with the Reds as a free agent. He also played for the Yankees and Cleveland before rejoining the Blue Jays before 1998 as a utility infielder. In 1998, he played extensively at second and third base. By 1999, he was the starting third baseman and posted a terrific .328/.427/.449 slash line, though his defense drew some criticism.
In 2000, he played in Japan, then signed with the Brewers for 2001. After two months, Milwaukee released him, and Toronto brought him back once more; he finished his career as a Blue Jay, mostly as a pinch hitter and DH.
Tony won four Gold Gloves and was an exceptionally athletic shortstop—always one of my favorites. His leaping jump-spin throws and sidearm deliveries to first base were iconic, and I tried to copy them as a kid. He was usually smiling on the bench, though he didn’t say much to the media. Maybe it was a language thing, or perhaps Dominican players found the press unapproachable—or vice versa.
He was the smoothest shortstop I’ve ever watched play.
Fernandez is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. In a fairer world, he’d be in Cooperstown too.
Tony passed away in February 2020, and his loss hit me harder than I expected.
Bud Black turns 69 today.
The Blue Jays traded for Black on September 16, 1990, when they were one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East.
He debuted in relief on September 18 and got the win, pulling the Jays into a tie for first. Black’s first start was a loss, but he started the second-to-last game, earned another win, and kept Toronto in the race. However, a loss on the final day (while Boston won) left Toronto two games back.
After the season, Black signed with the Giants as a free agent.
Across 15 MLB seasons, Black posted a 121-116 record and a 3.84 ERA over 398 games (296 starts).
After his playing days, Black became a pitching coach, then managed the Padres in 2007. He managed the Rockies to start 2025 but was let go after 40 games (7-33 start). He’s now an advisor with the Padres.
Pat Venditte turns 41 today.
Venditte pitched eight games for the Blue Jays in 2016.
He’s famous for pitching with both hands—earning the headline “amphibious pitcher,” which is even rarer than ambidextrous.
Venditte appeared in 61 big-league games over five seasons with six teams.
It is also Kazuma Okamoto’s 30th birthday.
Happy Birthday Kazuma
