On Sept. 10, the Blue Jays posted a 2-1 win over the Tigers, a result that looked routine enough at the time. Doyle Alexander handled the whole game for Toronto, giving up one run on seven hits and fanning eight. Jack Morris took the loss for Detroit even though he kept the Blue Jays to just two runs.
The twist came later, when Alexander’s career took a turn that would sting Toronto. He finished that season with a 3.45 ERA and helped the Blue Jays win the first division title in franchise history, but he was later dealt to Atlanta and eventually ended up with Detroit in 1987. From there, he became a central figure in the Tigers’ push past Toronto for the AL East crown two years later.
Alexander’s impact in Detroit was immediate. He went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 11 starts for the Tigers, including two wins over the Blue Jays in the final week of the season. Detroit finished 98-64 and claimed the AL East, while Toronto came in two games behind at 96-66.
Morris later put Alexander’s importance plainly, telling Sportsnet, "We're never there without Doyle." Detroit went on to reach the AL Championship Series and lost to the Minnesota Twins in five games.
Morris had a strong season of his own for the Tigers, putting up a 3.38 ERA in 34 starts. He left in free agency after that, spent 1991 with Minnesota, then signed with Toronto before the 1992 season.
Five years after helping knock the Blue Jays off their division perch, he helped Toronto win its first World Series. His ERA dipped to 4.04, but he still went 21-6 in 34 starts and gave the Blue Jays solid work at age 37.
He pitched two more seasons and retired after 1994. Morris later reached Cooperstown, though it took time. After 15 years on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, he was elected by the Modern Baseball Era Committee and inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018.
Alexander’s career ended more quietly, with Detroit in 1989. He never got a plaque in Cooperstown, but nearly two decades in the majors and a major role on a division winner left him with a career worth remembering.
In Other News...
Bo Bichette Could Reopen A Blue Jays Storyline Fans Know Well
Bo Bichettes career took a new turn when he landed with the Mets, but the next one could put him right back into a conversation Blue Jays fans know well. He is under contract for two more seasons at $84 million, yet the deal gives him a choice to opt out and instead take a $5 million buyout, which would send him into free agency before his age-29 season.
The timing matters because Bichettes second-half surge came at just the right moment, and it could make him more attractive in a thinner free-agent market. For Toronto, it is the kind of familiar storyline that tends to linger around a player who once felt central to the clubs future, especially if his next decision opens the door to another round of speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Offseason Bat Search Comes With One Huge Dilemma
The Blue Jays are trying to keep one eye on October and the other on what comes next, which is why their search for more offense could end up shaping both their postseason push and the winter that follows. Sitting in the chase for the third Wild Card spot, Toronto is looking hard at the trade market, and MLB.com has floated a pair of intriguing names who fit the kind of conversation the front office may soon have to have.
CJ Abrams brings the appeal of a breakout bat, even if the defensive questions come along with it, while Jarren Duran offers a very different kind of case after a down 2026 following stronger seasons before that. For the Blue Jays, the dilemma is familiar: chase the upside that could help now, or lean toward the steadier fit that might make more sense once the offseason really begins. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Extended Their Reach To One Incredible Canadian Community
The Blue Jays have been extending their footprint well beyond the AL East through Jays Care Foundation, and one of the most striking examples now sits in Arctic Bay, Nunavut. A new baseball diamond there has been completed as part of the 2022 Jays Care Field of Dreams program, giving the remote community a field that stands as the northernmost baseball diamond in the world.
Toronto backed the project with a $50,000 donation, while additional support came from the local community, and the build was handled by Synthetic Turf International despite the logistical hurdles that come with working in such a remote location. It is the kind of undertaking that reflects how much the Blue Jays have leaned into grassroots baseball across Canada, even in places where simply getting a field built is an accomplishment. [Read more 🡒]