Blue Jays unveil statue outside Rogers Centre honouring World Series championships

TORONTO — More than 30 years after his walk-off home run to win the World Series and Joe Carter still doesn’t want to take credit for leading the Toronto Blue Jays to their second consecutive championship.

The Blue Jays officially unveiled a statue honouring the 1992 and 1993 World Series champions outside Rogers Centre on Saturday, depicting Carter mid-jump as he rounded the bases following his climactic homer. The installation — titled “Back-to-Back” has all the players names from the two championship teams as well as Tom Cheek’s historic call for the game-winning hit.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the whole team because we did this as a team. I was just one guy,” said Carter about an hour after the ceremony. “It happened to be my time to come to the plate. Sports is something that when you come through for your teammates, it’s a great feeling.

“I’m very happy I was able to come through for my teammates because they’ve come through for me a lot.”

The statue is located at the southeast corner of the ballpark, outside Gate 5. It was erected, in part, to celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary.

It replaces a statue of former Blue Jays owner Edward S. Rogers, who died in 2008. That statue will be moved to the Rogers Communications campus in midtown Toronto.

“It’s something that I don’t take lightly. It’s a tremendous honour,” said Carter. “Something I’m very humbled by to see that come to fruition.

“I mean, dude, it’s huge out there, and this whole weekend, just having my family here, having the former players, my teammates, seeing all those guys, this is icing on the cake.”

Nearly 30 alumni of the two championship teams were in attendance for the statue’s debut, including Carter, 1992 World Series MVP Pat Borders and 1993 World Series MVP Paul Molitor, among many others.

Although Carter emphasized that the statue was for both the 1992 and 1993 clubs, Borders said it was only fitting that it was Carter who was the focus of the statue.

“I think his personality, his jovial personality, genuine excitement he has, which I think was on full display when he hit that home run, and on display with that statue too,” said Borders, in the Blue Jays front office at Rogers Centre. “I think once you get to know him in the locker room, even more so in the locker room than on the field, what kind of person I think he is, he’s a super representative of both those teams.”

Molitor, who signed with Toronto as a free agent between the 1992 and 1993 seasons, said that to him, Carter is the epitome of Blue Jays baseball.

“He was the glue on that team,” said Molitor, steps away from Borders. “I think there had only been one home run prior to that which had ever ended the season, and back in like 1960, Bill Mazeroski (of the Pittsburgh Pirates).

“So that was the moment. Joe caught the last out in ’92, I believe, at first base, and ’93 he hits the last ball for the season. I think it really depicts that chapter of Blue Jays baseball.”

Before the Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0 on Saturday, Carter and most of the ’90s alum were paraded around the field at Rogers Centre in white pickup trucks.

They were then led outside where current team president Mark Shapiro, Carter, and former Toronto manager Cito Gaston made speeches in a ceremony presided over by Sportsnet reporter Hazel Mae.

The alumni then marched back into the ballpark, through the stands, where Carter thanked the fans.

Carter threw out the ceremonial first pitch to George Springer and received a custom-made home run jacket with the phrase “Touch ‘Em All, Joe!” emblazoned on the back from slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

“Very special, very special for me. Joe Carter is one of the people that I admire, that I respect very much,” said Guerrero through translator Hector Lebron. “Every time I see the World Series banner from 1992 or 1993, I’m grateful to be here.

“What happened today was very special.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press