Today marks the 36th anniversary of the Blue Jays’ first game at the SkyDome.
The stadium officially opened a couple of days earlier with a gala event featuring Oscar Peterson and comedian Andrea Martin. On June 8, Rod Stewart performed the first concert at the venue. I wonder if he has changed his setlist since then?
I have a story about that first game. Thirty-two years ago, I was a much younger Blue Jays fan. Some of the Jays’ games aired on CTV, but locally, they decided to join the game in progress after the evening news. You can imagine my disappointment. After the news finally ended, instead of switching to the game, they aired a half-hour feature about the construction of Skydome and a tour highlighting the ballpark’s modern features—hot and cold running water, vintage popcorn from the first Exhibition Stadium game, quirky details like that.
By the time the broadcast finally switched to the game, it was already an hour and a half underway. Naturally, I was not pleased.
The Jays lost 5-3 to the Brewers. Jimmy Key pitched a complete game, allowing 9 hits and throwing 141 pitches—yes, 141 pitches in a loss. Cito Gaston wasn’t one for pitch counts. In Key’s next start, he lasted only 3 innings and allowed 5 earned runs. The bullpen had already logged 19 innings over three games in Boston prior to this one, so Key took one for the team.
To be fair to Cito Gaston, this was the only game that season in which a Blue Jays starter topped 140 pitches. Across MLB in 1989, there were 39 games where a pitcher reached that mark—Nolan Ryan led the way with seven, Roger Clemens had four, and Bobby Witt had two. No other pitcher had more than one such outing. John Farrell, a familiar name, threw 159 pitches against the Jays in a Cleveland loss. Unsurprisingly, 1989 was the last year Farrell would throw more than 100 innings. The highest single-game pitch count that season belonged to Nolan Ryan, who threw 164 pitches on September 12 against the Royals—and didn’t even finish the game.
Gary Sheffield drove in the game’s first run in the opening inning, scoring Paul Molitor—who notched the first hit—on a groundout.
The Blue Jays’ first runs and home run at SkyDome came courtesy of Fred McGriff, who launched a two-run shot that also brought home George Bell.
Our batting order was (what a terrific lineup):
Junior Felix RF
Tony Fernandez SS
Kelly Gruber 3B
George Bell LF
Fred McGriff 1B
Lloyd Moseby CF
Ernie Whitt C
Rance Mulliniks DH
Nelson Liriano 2B
Bell and McGriff hit homers. Kelly Gruber went 2 for 4 with a double.
After that game, the Jays sat at 23-32, sixth in the AL East and nine games behind the Orioles. Despite the slow start, the team rallied for a remarkable 76-41 run to capture the division title. That was the year Cito Gaston took over from Jimy Williams after 36 games and a 12-14 record, guiding the club to a 77-49 finish. A trade deadline acquisition of Mookie Wilson also energized the roster.
The new ballpark delivered a major revenue boost, with luxury suites starting at $150,000 and SkyClub seats fetching between $2,000 and $4,000.
SkyDome was met with rave reviews from both players and fans. Ernie Whitt even dubbed it the eighth wonder of the world.
Anne Murray performed the national anthems, just as she did for the inaugural Blue Jays game at Exhibition Stadium.
What are your memories of the early days of SkyDome?
