How the Blue Jays went from fledgling franchise to mature World Series contender

A half-century of Toronto Blue Jays baseball? Believe it.

The franchise that made its debut on a snowy April day in 1977, is back at it this Friday, marking the beginning of its 50th season in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Few years have had the build-up that this one has. Losing a closely fought World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers last fall means the team has what fiery veteran pitcher Max Scherzer calls "unfinished business."

With the Blue Jays set for their season opener against the Athletics tonight at Rogers Centre, here's a look at their journey from rookie expansion team to a mature franchise whose recent run has reignited fan hopes for the future.

The Blue Jays won just 54 games in their inaugural 1977 season, finishing at the bottom of the American League (AL) East division. They lost more than 100 times that year.

"There were no expectations of great success," said veteran journalist Allen Abel, who covered the team's first game and recently reconnected with some of those Day 1 players.

What to expect from the 1977 Blue Jays

Still, Abel says the arrival of the Blue Jays was a big deal for the city, and fans were content to see MLB games being played in Toronto, no matter how poorly the team performed.

The team stayed in the division cellar through the 1982 season. And while Toronto managed to draft some future talent during this early period, Abel says there wasn't a lot of it for a while.

Abel, who covered the team's early years for the Globe and Mail and also worked for CBC later in his career, recalls penning a 1978 column about a Toronto minor league affiliate in Medicine Hat, Alta.

He notes that only one player on that roster — Lloyd Moseby — went on to stick with the Blue Jays in the long run.

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