Jays alumni hope history doesn’t repeat itself as labour strife looms in off-season

TORONTO — One of the biggest names in Toronto Blue Jays history is hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself.

After winning the 1992 and 1993 World Series, the Blue Jays had set their sights on a three-peat as Major League Baseball champions. Toronto was already muddling through the 1994 season with a return to the playoffs likely out of reach when the players’ association went on strike, making a late-season comeback impossible.

After 32 years of labour peace, the possibility of another disruption looms this December, and those Blue Jays alumni are hoping that cooler heads prevail.

“Baseball is a very expensive sport. Guys are making a lot of money, and it’s costing the fans who deserve to come out and watch everyone play,” said Joe Carter on Saturday after a statue honouring Toronto’s back-to-back championships was unveiled outside Rogers Centre. “But it’s getting very expensive for the fans to come out so something has to happen.

“Hopefully there will not be a stoppage because baseball right now is going at as high as it’s ever been.”

Baseball’s current five-year labour contract expires Dec. 1 and a management lockout is expected that would halt off-season trades and signings, and threaten the start of spring training workouts on Feb. 9 and opening day on March 24.

In May, MLB proposed a salary cap for the first time since players fought off a similar proposal during the 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that led to the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years. Players vow never to accept a cap.

The Blue Jays could have become the fourth team to win three or more World Series in a row, joining the New York Yankees (1936-39, 1949-53) and Oakland Athletics (1972-74). When the 1994 season ended on Aug. 11 of that year, Toronto was third in the East Division, with a 55-60 record, 16 games back of first-place New York.

Even with the Blue Jays well back of the Yankees there was still a good chance the World Series would stay north of the border as the 74-40 Montreal Expos had the best record in baseball when play was stopped.

Instead, the 1994 season was lost and the Yankees (1998-2000) became the fourth and most recent team to win three consecutive World Series.

Catcher Pat Borders, who was the 1992 World Series MVP, said that he was exhausted after Toronto’s back-to-back championships.

“We were so wore out, or at least I was. I can say that I was,” he said on Saturday. “I think mentally more so than even physically. When you stretch it from spring training all through that extra month of playing through the World Series, and then ending with the tremendous concentration you have from pitch to pitch, getting little sleep in between games because you’re thinking about the next game, how to attack the different pitchers, different hitters, whatever it may be.

“I know personally, I was completely exhausted in ’94, and I think it was reflected in our record at the time the strike happened.”

— With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press