2009 Toronto Blue Jays season

2009  Toronto Blue Jays
Singing of the national anthem during the Opening Day ceremony
League	American League
Division	East
Ballpark	Rogers Centre
City	Toronto, Ontario
Record	75–87 (.463)
Divisional place	4th
Owners	Rogers; Paul Beeston (CEO)
General managers	J. P. Ricciardi
Managers	Cito Gaston
Television	TSN , TSN2 (Rod Black, Pat Tabler) Rogers Sportsnet (Jamie Campbell, Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks, Darrin Fletcher)
Radio	FAN 590 (Jerry Howarth, Alan Ashby, Mike Wilner)
←  2008 Seasons 2010  →

The 2009 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 33rd in Major League Baseball, and the 20th full season of play at the Rogers Centre. The team was managed by Cito Gaston, who was hired by the team midway through the 2008 season. General manager J. P. Ricciardi was fired on the penultimate day of the season, as the team again failed to make the playoffs. He was replaced by Assistant General Manager Alex Anthopoulos.

The team started the season well, and was in first place in the American League East with a 27–14 record. The team was swept by the Red Sox at Fenway Park from May 19 to 21, the first of nine straight losses that ultimately led to a disappointing season with a record of 75–87, 28 games behind the division lead, and 20 games behind the wild card spot. It was the first time that Toronto had finished with a losing record since 2005, when they finished 80–82.

Offseason

Front office reorganization

Ted Rogers, the founder of Rogers Communications and the Blue Jays' owner, died at the age of 75 on December 2, 2008, at his home in Toronto. ^[1] Rogers purchased the Blue Jays in 2000, hoping to lead the franchise to its first playoff berth since the club last won the World Series in 1993. The team continues to be owned and operated by Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership, a division of Rogers Communications.

Prior to Rogers' death, the team named Paul Beeston as interim president of baseball operations and chief operating officer replacing retiring president Paul Godfrey. ^[2] The first employee in Toronto Blue Jays history, Beeston served in the same capacity with the organization from 1989 to 1997. Soon after being introduced on October 14, 2008, Beeston began a significant reorganization of the baseball operations of the club. In the wake of the global financial crisis and the loss of advertising revenue, the team let go of several employees from its media division on December 2. ^[3]

On January 21, 2009, assistant general manager Bart Given was also dismissed to keep "costs down" for the upcoming season according to the team. ^[4]

Additions were made to the scouting department, including the hiring of pro scouts Roy Smith, ^[5] Steve Springer and four others. ^[6]

Player transactions

The most significant change from the 2008 team was the departure of pitcher A. J. Burnett, who filed for free agency and signed a contract with the New York Yankees. Shaun Marcum (elbow), Casey Janssen (shoulder) and Dustin McGowan (labrum) started the season on the disabled list. Janssen has since returned, Getting a loss in his season debut vs the Braves, which the Jays lost 4-3.

Retentions

For the twelfth consecutive season the organization avoided going to an arbitration hearing, re-signing the five arbitration eligible players on the team. The team and relievers Brandon League (one year/$640K), Jeremy Accardo (one year/$900K), Jason Frasor (one year/$1.45M), Brian Tallet (one year/$1.025M) and Shawn Camp (one year/$750K) along with infielder José Bautista (one year/$2.4M) all came to terms. ^[7]

The team also picked up the club option held on catcher Rod Barajas. ^[8]

Departures

On November 5, 2008, pitcher A. J. Burnett opted out of the remaining two years of his five-year contract, ending months of speculation that the starter was planning to leave Toronto. ^[9] Burnett, who in 2008 led the team in strikeouts and won 18 games, went on to sign with the division rival New York Yankees on December 18. ^[10]

None of the five major league free agents from the Blue Jays' 2008 roster were tendered contracts. Catcher Gregg Zaun ended his five-year tenure in Toronto and signed a one-year deal with the rival Baltimore Orioles. ^[11] Outfielder Brad Wilkerson (Boston), ^[12] relief pitcher John Parrish (Orioles), ^[13] and infielder Héctor Luna (Los Angeles (NL)) all signed minor league contracts elsewhere, while outfielder Kevin Mench signed a one-year deal with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Nippon League. ^[14]

Minor league pitching prospect Jean Machi, who had been on the forty-man roster, was also released by the club in November. ^[15] Another major departure, third baseman Scott Rolen, was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for personal reasons.

Arrivals

Edwin Encarnación was acquired on the trade deadline in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Blue Jays, faced with financial hardships, the fall of the Canadian dollar against the American dollar and a smaller budget, did not opt to make any major impact moves. Towards the end of spring training, they did however sign Kevin Millar to a one-year deal. Millar is known as a solid player to have in the clubhouse and would find time playing the DH and utility infield.

However, with the trade of Scott Rolen to the Cincinnati Reds, the Blue Jays welcomed infielder Edwin Encarnación, relief pitcher Josh Roenicke and a minor league pitching prospect.

Pitchers

Two starters recovering from major shoulder surgery would have an opportunity to claim rotation slots with the club coming out of spring training. Former All-Star starter Matt Clement, who spent an injury riddled 2008 season with St. Louis was signed on December 12. ^[16] Left-handed starter Mike Maroth, who last pitched in the majors in 2007 with St. Louis, was inked to a minor league deal on December 30.

Two former first overall draft picks were also acquired by the club. 2002 top selection Bryan Bullington was claimed off waivers from Cleveland in October. ^[17] The Jays also traded for 2004 number one choice Matt Bush in February. ^[18] Bush had previously been in the Padres organisation.

The team imported fourteen-year Nippon League veteran Ken Takahashi from Japan. ^[19] Toronto claimed southpaw Brian Burres (Baltimore), ^[20] and reliever T. J. Beam (Pittsburgh) ^[21] off waivers. The club also re-signed Dirk Hayhurst in February, days after releasing the former waiver claim. ^[22]

Position players

Former silver slugging catcher Michael Barrett ^[23] and infielder Kevin Millar ^[24] were among the prominent additions to the team offensively. Barrett, who missed much of his 2008 season with the Padres due to a facial fracture, is a top candidate to be the Blue Jays backup catcher. Millar, who spent the previous three seasons with Baltimore and hit twenty home runs in 2008, will have an opportunity for a bench or platoon role with the Jays.

In January, the team signed outfielder Jason Lane (Boston) and infielder Brandon Fahey (Baltimore) to minor league deals. ^[25] In December, the team inked catcher Raúl Chávez (Pittsburgh) and designated hitter Randy Ruiz (Minnesota). ^[26] In October the club announced it signed former Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen and will attempt to convert him to a first baseman. ^[27]

Injuries

Starter Shaun Marcum was lost for the 2009 season when he underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2008. ^[28] The right-hander went under the knife to repair ligaments in his pitching elbow, and is tentatively expected to be back for the Jays' 2010 spring training.

Pitcher Casey Janssen who missed all of 2008 due to shoulder problems was expected to compete for a rotation spot, ^[29] but was put on the 15-day disabled list just before the season began. Starter Dustin McGowan who is recovering from right labrum surgery is expected to rejoin the club sometime in May. ^[30]

On April 23, the Blue Jays placed starting pitcher Ricky Romero and closer B. J. Ryan on the 15-day disabled list. Romero was suffering from a right oblique strain, while Ryan was sent to see a specialist for a tight left trapezius muscle. Ryan has since returned, but not as the closer. ^[31]

On June 9, it was announced that Jesse Litsch will undergo season-ending ligament replacement ("Tommy John") surgery. ^[32]

Broadcasts

The Jays' flagship station for radio is The FAN 590, which has all 162 regular season games. Jerry Howarth and Alan Ashby will call all 162, with Mike Wilner being the third personality. Mike will also host the pregame and postgame show for each game, as long as there is time for it before/after. The Blue Jays' flagship TV station is Rogers Sportsnet, which is airing over 100 games in 2009 for the Jays. The two other stations are both in the TSN network, TSN and TSN2. TSN has coverage starting after they are done with NHL on TSN (during the Stanley Cup Finals, coverage usually starts). From May 19–21, the two Jays stations were occupied with hockey and TSN2 airs the Jays in TSN's place. With Sportsnet taking care of the annual Memorial Cup, and TSN covering the NHL conference finals, TSN2 was open, and took in at the time, the biggest series of the Jays' young season. Rod Black and Pat Tabler did not cover this series though, TSN2 broadcast NESN coverage. TSN2 had the September 13 game versus the Tigers and will air the Jays home closer versus the Mariners on September 27. Untelevised games can be seen on JaysVision on Rogers Cable (digital only). Otherwise, the viewer must subscribe to MLB Extra Innings, which gets the feed from the opposing team's station. MLB Extra Innings is available on satellite and digital cable.

Regular season

Season summary

The Blue Jays mascot during the 2009 season

The Jays began the year with a schedule that had them playing teams from the Central and the West divisions for 24 games in April. Adam Lind slugged out an opening day record 6 RBI, and the Jays pummeled the Tigers, giving Roy Halladay the win. They went on to win the first 6 series of the season, and finished April with a 15-9 record, tied with the Red Sox for first in the AL East.

The first game against the New York Yankees occurred on May 12, in a marquee matchup of Roy Halladay versus former teammate A. J. Burnett. Not only did the Jays win 8-2, but Halladay recorded his first complete game of the season, while giving Burnett his first loss on the year. The Jays drew a crowd of 43,737 fans. This was the first non-home opener Rogers Centre sell out since July 22 of the previous year against the Yankees, drawing a crowd of 50,014. However, the remaining two games of the 2009series were won by the Yankees, making this the first series lost by the Jays at home that season. They followed this with a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox, at which time the Jays had the best record (27-14) in the American League, but this was followed by a disastrous road trip to Boston, Atlanta and Baltimore during which the Jays lost 9 straight games, tying their longest away-game losing streak since a nine-game run in May 2007. This left the Jays at 27-23, behind Boston and the Yankees by 1.5 games. The Blue Jays then bounced back, taking two out of three from Boston, and had some more considerable successes, most notably a three-game road sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. However, they never again held a playoff position, and gradually faded out of the picture: they were out of contention by the All-Star break, and were never able to mount any sort of charge reminiscent of 2008's 10-game winning streak to get back in the race.

Roy Halladay and Aaron Hill were named to the American League All-Star team. Halladay was the starting pitcher, and Hill started the game at second base.

Firing of J. P. Ricciardi

Alex Anthopoulos took over for J. P. Ricciardi.

On October 3, the J. P. Ricciardi era ended in Toronto. When he took over in 2002, he guaranteed a playoff berth; the Jays never even came close to a playoff berth, never finishing better than 10 games behind the top of the division during Ricciardi's reign. After a promising start to 2009, the Jays faltered, and Ricciardi publicized the topic of a Roy Halladay trade, which many Jays fans disapproved. Allegedly, Ricciardi told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports a day before the firing, in which some Blue Jays players spoke critically about Cito Gaston. A day later, Paul Beeston reportedly found out about Ricciardi leaking the information to the media, and promptly fired him. Assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos took over immediately.

Season standings

AL East

v t e AL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Yankees	103	59	0.636	—	57–24	46–35
Boston Red Sox	95	67	0.586	8	56–25	39–42
Tampa Bay Rays	84	78	0.519	19	52–29	32–49
Toronto Blue Jays	75	87	0.463	28	44–37	31–50
Baltimore Orioles	64	98	0.395	39	39–42	25–56

Detailed record

Team Home Away Total Gms left AL East Baltimore Orioles 8-1 1-8 9-9 - Boston Red Sox 4-5 3-6 7-11 - New York Yankees 3-6 3-6 6-12 - Tampa Bay Rays 3-6 1-8 4-14 - 18-18 8-28 26-46 - AL Central Chicago White Sox 4-0 2-1 6-1 - Cleveland Indians 2-3 2-1 4-4 - Detroit Tigers 3-1 2-2 5-3 - Kansas City Royals 2-1 1-3 3-4 - Minnesota Twins 2-2 3-1 5-3 - 13-7 10-8 23-15 - AL West Los Angeles Angels 3-3 1-1 4-4 - Oakland Athletics 2-1 4-2 6-3 - Seattle Mariners 3-1 1-2 4-3 - Texas Rangers 2-1 3-4 5-5 - 10-6 9-9 19-15 - National League Atlanta Braves N/A 0-3 0-3 - Cincinnati Reds 2-1 N/A 2-1 - Florida Marlins 0-3 N/A 0-3 - Philadelphia Phillies 1-2 3-0 4-2 - Washington Nationals N/A 1-2 1-2 - 3-6 4-5 7-11 -

Month Games Won Lost April 24 15 9 May 29 14 15 June 26 12 14 July 24 8 16 August 26 10 16 September 30 16 14 October 3 0 3 162 75 87

Vs. opponents

Team	BAL	BOS	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	LAA	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TB	TEX	TOR	NL
Baltimore	–	2–16	5–4	2–5	3–5	4–4	2–8	3–2	5–13	1–5	4–5	8–10	5–5	9–9	11–7
Boston	16–2	–	4–4	7–2	6–1	5–3	4–5	4–2	9–9	5–5	2–4	9–9	2–7	11–7	11–7
Chicago	4–5	4−4	–	10–8	9–9	9–9	5–4	6−12	3–4	4–5	4–5	6–2	2–4	1–6	12–6
Cleveland	5–2	2–7	8–10	–	4–14	10–8	2–4	8–10	3–5	2–5	6–4	5–3	1–8	4–4	5–13
Detroit	5–3	1–6	9–9	14–4	–	9–9	5–4	7–12	1–5	5–4	5–4	5–2	7–2	3–5	10–8
Kansas City	4–4	3–5	9–9	8–10	9–9	–	1–9	6–12	2–4	2–6	5–4	1–9	3–3	4–3	8–10
Los Angeles	8–2	5–4	4–5	4–2	4–5	9–1	–	6–4	5–5	12–7	10–9	4–2	8–11	4–4	14–4
Minnesota	2–3	2–4	12–6	10–8	12–7	12–6	4–6	–	0–7	4–6	5–5	3–3	6–4	3–5	12–6
New York	13–5	9–9	4–3	5–3	5–1	4–2	5–5	7–0	–	7–2	6–4	11–7	5–4	12–6	10–8
Oakland	5–1	5–5	5–4	5–2	4–5	6–2	7–12	6–4	2–7	–	5–14	6–4	11–8	3–6	5–13
Seattle	5–4	4–2	5–4	4–6	4–5	4–5	9–10	5–5	4–6	14–5	–	5–3	8–11	3–4	11–7
Tampa Bay	10–8	9–9	2–6	3–5	2–5	9–1	2–4	3–3	7–11	4–6	3–5	–	3–6	14–4	13–5
Texas	5–5	7–2	4–2	8–1	2–7	3–3	11–8	4–6	4–5	8–11	11–8	6–3	–	5–5	9–9
Toronto	9–9	7–11	6–1	4–4	5–3	3–4	4–4	5–3	6–12	6–3	4–3	4–14	5–5	–	7–11

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• Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2009

2009 draft picks

Source ^[33]

The 2009 MLB Draft was held on June 9–11. The Blue Jays had a first round pick, along with one compensation pick. The Blue Jays also had two picks in the third round.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College/school	Nationality	Signed
1	20	Chad Jenkins	RHP	Kennesaw State		2009–08–15
C-A	37*	James Paxton	LHP	Kentucky		Unsigned
2	68	Jake Eliopoulos	LHP	Sacred Heart Catholic High School (ON)		Unsigned
3	99	Jake Barrett	RHP	Desert Ridge High School (AZ)		Unsigned
3	104	Jake Marisnick	CF	Riverside Polytechnic High School (CA)		2009–08–17
4	130	Ryan Goins	SS	Dallas Baptist		2009–07–17
5	160	Ryan Schimpf	2B	Louisiana State		2009–07–27
6	190	K. C. Hobson	RF	Stockdale High School (CA)		2009–08–17
7	220	Egan Smith	LHP	College of Southern Nevada		2009–06–14
8	250	Brian Slover	RHP	Cal State-Northridge		2009–07–20
9	280	Aaron Loup	LHP	Tulane		2009–06–29
10	310	Yan Gomes	C	Barry		2009–06–19

• * The Blue Jays received the 37th pick as compensation for loss of free agent A. J. Burnett

Roster

2009 Toronto Blue Jays
Roster
Pitchers 49 Jeremy Accardo 36 Bryan Bullington 14 Brian Burres 57 Shawn Camp 39 Jesse Carlson 27 Brett Cecil 37 Scott Downs 54 Jason Frasor 32 Roy Halladay 58 Dirk Hayhurst 44 Casey Janssen 22 Brandon League 51 Jesse Litsch 59 Brad Mills 62 Bill Murphy 25 David Purcey 60 Robert Ray 48 Scott Richmond 33 Josh Roenicke 24 Ricky Romero 52 B. J. Ryan 34 Marc Rzepczynski 56 Brian Tallet 40 Brian Wolfe		Catchers 20 Rod Barajas  5 Michael Barrett 13 Raúl Chávez 31 Kyle Phillips Infielders  7 Edwin Encarnación  2 Aaron Hill  6 John McDonald 15,30 Kevin Millar 35 Lyle Overbay 33 Scott Rolen  3 Randy Ruiz 19 Marco Scutaro		Outfielders  8 Russ Adams 23 José Bautista 17 David Dellucci  1 Joe Inglett 26 Adam Lind 15 Alex Ríos 45 Travis Snider 10 Vernon Wells		Manager 43 Cito Gaston Coaches 38 Brad Arnsberg (pitching) 55 Brian Butterfield (bench) 16 Nick Leyva (third base) 41 Dwayne Murphy (first base) 18 Gene Tenace (hitting) 53 Bruce Walton (bullpen)

Game log

Legend
Blue Jays win	Blue Jays loss	Game postponed

Game log
April 15–9 (home 7–3, road 8–6) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 1 April 6 Tigers 12–5 Halladay (1–0) Verlander (0–1) 48,027 1–0 0 2 April 7 Tigers 5–4 Ryan (1–0) Lyon (0–1) 16,790 2–0 +½ 3 April 8 Tigers 5–1 Miner (1–0) Litsch (0–1) 12,145 2–1 ½ 4 April 9 Tigers 6–2 Romero (1–0) Porcello (0–1) 15,297 3–1 +½ 5 April 10 @ Indians 13–7 League (1–0) Pérez (0–1) 42,473 4–1 +½ 6 April 11 @ Indians 5–4 Halladay (2–0) Lee (0–2) Frasor (1) 20,895 5–1 +½ 7 April 12 @ Indians 8–4 Reyes (1–0) Purcey (0–1) 14,216 5–2 +½ 8 April 13 @ Twins 8–6 Frasor (1–0) Ayala (1–1) Ryan (1) 16,410 6–2 +½ 9 April 14 @ Twins 3–2 (11) Crain (1–0) Carlson (0–1) 15,375 6–3 ½ 10 April 15 @ Twins 12–2 Richmond (1–0) Baker (0–1) 19,471 7–3 +½ 11 April 16 @ Twins 9–2 Halladay (3–0) Liriano (0–3) 15,169 8–3 +1 12 April 17 Athletics 8–5 Bailey (2–0) League (1–1) Ziegler (3) 18,272 8–4 +1 13 April 18 Athletics 4–2 (12) Frasor (2–0) Giese (0–1) 21,698 9–4 +2 14 April 19 Athletics 1–0 Romero (2–0) Braden (1–2) Ryan (2) 22,164 10–4 +2½ 15 April 21 Rangers 5–4 McCarthy (2–0) Halladay (3–1) Francisco (2) 20,996 10–5 +1½ 16 April 22 Rangers 8–7 (11) Frasor (3–0) Wilson (0–2) 13,090 11–5 +1½ 17 April 23 Rangers 5–2 Richmond (2–0) Millwood (1–2) Downs (1) 15,487 12–5 +2 18 April 24 @ White Sox 14–0 Tallet (1–0) Floyd (2–2) 27,103 13–5 +2 19 April 25 @ White Sox 10–2 Buehrle (3–0) Burres (0–1) 30,383 13–6 +1 20 April 26 @ White Sox 4–3 Halladay (4–1) Linebrink (0–1) Downs (2) 31,459 14–6 +1 21 April 27 @ Royals 7–1 Bannister (2–0) Purcey (0–2) 9,685 14–7 0 22 April 28 @ Royals 8–1 Richmond (3–0) Meche (1–2) 15,191 15–7 +1 23 April 29 @ Royals 11–3 Greinke (5–0) Tallet (1–1) 10,619 15–8 0 24 April 30 @ Royals 8–6 Davies (2–1) Burres (0–2) 11,896 15–9 0
May 14–15 (home 11–4, road 3–11) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 25 May 1 Orioles 8–4 Halladay (5–1) Hendrickson (1–4) 20,020 16–9 +1 26 May 2 Orioles 5–4 (11) Frasor (4–0) Bass (0–1) 18,331 17–9 +1 27 May 3 Orioles 4–3 Richmond (4–0) Guthrie (2–2) Downs (3) 20,418 18–9 +2 28 May 4 Indians 9–7 (12) Betancourt (1–1) Camp (0–1) Lewis (1) 15,295 18–10 +1 29 May 5 Indians 10–6 Wolfe (1–0) Chulk (0–1) 22,005 19–10 +1 30 May 6 @ Angels 13–1 Halladay (6–1) Ortega (0–2) 41,123 20–10 +2 31 May 7 @ Angels 6–1 Weaver (3–1) Ray (0–1) 41,007 20–11 +1 32 May 8 @ Athletics 5–3 Wuertz (2–1) Richmond (4–1) Bailey (1) 14,103 20–12 0 33 May 9 @ Athletics 6–4 Tallet (2–1) Gallagher (1–1) 15,817 21–12 +1 34 May 10 @ Athletics 5–0 Cecil (1–0) Braden (3–4) 15,126 22–12 +1 35 May 12 Yankees 5–1 Halladay (7–1) Burnett (2–1) 43,737 23–12 +1 36 May 13 Yankees 8–2 Pettitte (3–1) Richmond (4–2) 20,164 23–13 +1 37 May 14 Yankees 3–2 Sabathia (3–3) Carlson (0–2) Rivera (7) 22,667 23–14 +1 38 May 15 White Sox 8–3 Cecil (2–0) Danks (2–3) 17,241 24–14 +2 39 May 16 White Sox 2–1 Ray (1–1) Linebrink (1–2) Downs (4) 21,879 25–14 +2 40 May 17 White Sox 8–2 Halladay (8–1) Floyd (2–4) 37,137 26–14 +3 41 May 18 White Sox 3–2 Carlson (1–2) Dotel (1–1) Downs (5) 24,206 27–14 +3½ 42 May 19 @ Red Sox 2–1 Wakefield (5–2) Tallet (2–2) Papelbon (11) 37,830 27–15 +2½ 43 May 20 @ Red Sox 8–3 Penny (4–1) Cecil (2–1) 38,099 27–16 +1½ 44 May 21 @ Red Sox 5–1 Lester (3–4) Ray (1–2) 38,347 27–17 +½ 45 May 22 @ Braves 1–0 Kawakami (3–5) Carlson (1–3) González (7) 21,533 27–18 +½ 46 May 23 @ Braves 4–3 Lowe (6–2) Janssen (0–1) Soriano (4) 27,377 27–19 +½ 47 May 24 @ Braves 10–2 Bennett (2–1) Camp (0–2) 23,971 27–20 ½ 48 May 25 @ Orioles 4–1 Guthrie (4–4) Tallet (2–3) Sherrill (10) 24,904 27–21 1½ 49 May 26 @ Orioles 7–2 Berken (1–0) Romero (2–1) 10,130 27–22 1½ 50 May 27 @ Orioles 12–10 (11) Báez (4–1) Wolfe (1–1) 13,713 27–23 1½ 51 May 29 Red Sox 6–3 Janssen (1–1) Wakefield (6–3) Downs (6) 32,026 28–23 1½ 52 May 30 Red Sox 5–3 Tallet (3–3) Ramírez (4–2) Downs (7) 35,484 29–23 1½ 53 May 31 Red Sox 8–2 Lester (4–5) Romero (2–2) 30,496 29–24 1½
June 12–14 (home 6–11, road 6–3) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 54 June 2 Angels 6–4 Halladay (9–1) Saunders (6–4) 26,809 30–24 2 55 June 3 Angels 8–1 Weaver (5–2) Janssen (1–2) 17,127 30–25 2 56 June 4 Angels 6–5 Speier (2–1) League (1–2) 31,163 30–26 3 57 June 5 Royals 9–3 Romero (3–2) Greinke (8–2) 15,435 31–26 2½ 58 June 6 Royals 6–2 Hochevar (1–2) Richmond (4–3) 16,552 31–27 3 59 June 7 Royals 4–0 Halladay (10–1) Davies (2–6) 21,071 32–27 2½ 60 June 8 @ Rangers 6–3 Janssen (2–2) Feldman (5–1) Downs (8) 17,856 33–27 2½ 61 June 9 @ Rangers 9–0 Tallet (4–3) Mathis (0–1) 17,535 34–27 1½ – June 10 @ Rangers Postponed (rain)Rescheduled for September 1 2 62 June 11 @ Rangers 1–0 Millwood (6–4) Romero (3–3) Wilson (6) 16,073 34–28 3 63 June 12 Marlins 7–3 Meyer (1–0) League (1–3) 17,922 34–29 4 64 June 13 Marlins 6–5 West (2–1) Janssen (2–3) Lindstrom (12) 20,634 34–30 5 65 June 14 Marlins 11–3 Johnson (6–1) Tallet (4–4) 20,985 34–31 5 66 June 16 @ Phillies 8–3 (10) Downs (1–0) Condrey (4–2) 44,958 35–31 5 67 June 17 @ Phillies 7–1 Richmond (5–3) Moyer (4–6) 42,091 36–31 5 68 June 18 @ Phillies 8–7 Frasor (5–0) Madson (2–2) Accardo (1) 44,036 37–31 4 69 June 19 @ Nationals 2–1 (11) Colomé (1–0) Frasor (5–1) 20,860 37–32 4 70 June 20 @ Nationals 5–3 (12) Tavárez (3–4) Richmond (5–4) 22,142 37–33 5 71 June 21 @ Nationals 9–4 Romero (4–3) Martis (5–2) 26,610 38–33 5 72 June 23 Reds 7–5 Tallet (5–4) Owings (4–8) Frasor (2) 30,351 39–33 5 73 June 24 Reds 8–2 Richmond (6–4) Arroyo (8–6) 15,409 40–33 5 74 June 25 Reds 7–5 Cueto (6–4) Camp (0–3) Cordero (18) 15,329 40–34 5 75 June 26 Phillies 6–1 Romero (5–3) Hamels (4–4) 21,331 41–34 5 76 June 27 Phillies 10–0 Happ (5–0) Mills (0–1) 28,805 41–35 6 77 June 28 Phillies 5–4 Moyer (6–6) Tallet (5–5) Lidge (14) 36,378 41–36 6 78 June 29 Rays 4–1 Niemann (7–4) Halladay (10–2) Choate (4) 15,665 41–37 7 79 June 30 Rays 4–1 Garza (6–5) Richmond (6–5) Howell (6) 15,477 41–38 7
July 8–16 (home 5–5, road 3–11) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 80 July 1 Rays 5–0 Romero (6–3) Shields (6–6) 30,533 42–38 7 81 July 3 @ Yankees 4–2 Burnett (7–4) Tallet (5–6) Rivera (21) 46,308 42–39 7 82 July 4 @ Yankees 6–5 (12) Tomko (1–2) Camp (0–4) 46,620 42–40 7 83 July 5 @ Yankees 10–8 Albaladejo (3–1) Ryan (1–1) Aceves (1) 46,320 42–41 8 84 July 6 @ Yankees 7–6 Romero (7–3) Pettitte (8–4) Frasor (3) 46,450 43–41 7 85 July 7 @ Rays 3–1 (11) Wheeler (3–1) League (1–4) 15,244 43–42 8 86 July 8 @ Rays 10–9 Howell (5–2) Frasor (5–2) 15,252 43–43 9 87 July 9 @ Rays 3–2 Price (3–3) Halladay (10–3) Wheeler (1) 25,749 43–44 9 88 July 10 @ Orioles 2–0 Cecil (3–1) Berken (1–6) Downs (9) 30,574 44–44 9 89 July 11 @ Orioles 4–3 (12) Hendrickson (5–4) Carlson (1–4) 28,281 44–45 10 90 July 12 @ Orioles 4–2 Bergesen (6–3) Rzepczynski (0–1) Sherrill (20) 21,621 44–46 11 91 July 17 Red Sox 4–1 Buchholz (1–0) Romero (7–4) Papelbon (24) 32,928 44–47 12 92 July 18 Red Sox 6–2 Rzepczynski (1–1) Penny (6–4) 36,926 45–47 11 93 July 19 Red Sox 3–1 Halladay (11–3) Lester (8–7) 36,534 46–47 10 94 July 21 Indians 2–1 Lee (6–9) Downs (1–1) 18,330 46–48 10½ 95 July 22 Indians 10–6 Romero (8–4) Pavano (8–8) 18,375 47–48 10½ 96 July 23 Indians 5–4 Huff (5–4) Rzepczynski (1–2) Wood (13) 32,061 47–49 11½ 97 July 24 Rays 4–2 Garza (7–7) Downs (1–2) Howell (11) 24,161 47–50 12½ 98 July 25 Rays 10–9 (12) Howell (6–2) Camp (0–5) Nelson (3) 26,527 47–51 12½ 99 July 26 Rays 5–1 Cecil (4–1) Niemann (9–5) 30,610 48–51 12½ 100 July 27 @ Mariners 11–4 Romero (9–4) Hernández (11–4) 28,696 49–51 12½ 101 July 28 @ Mariners 4–3 Aardsma (3–3) Downs (1–3) 26,148 49–52 12½ 102 July 29 @ Mariners 3–2 Rowland-Smith (1–1) Halladay (11–4) Aardsma (25) 32,649 49–53 13½ 103 July 31 @ Athletics 8–5 Braden (8–9) Richmond (6–6) Bailey (14) 12,151 49–54 13
August 10–16 (home 5–9, road 5–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 104 August 1 @ Athletics 6–5 Cecil (5–1) Cahill (6–10) Frasor (4) 35,067 50–54 12 105 August 2 @ Athletics 7–2 Romero (10–4) Mazzaro (2–8) 13,070 51–54 12 106 August 4 Yankees 5–3 Pettitte (9–6) Halladay (11–5) 33,669 51–55 13 107 August 5 Yankees 8–4 Aceves (7–1) Rzepczynski (1–3) 31,402 51–56 14 108 August 7 Orioles 7–5 Berken (2–9) Romero (10–5) Johnson (3) 30,795 51–57 15½ 109 August 8 Orioles 3–2 (10) Frasor (6–2) Báez (4–6) 28,613 52–57 16½ 110 August 9 Orioles 7–3 Halladay (12–5) Matusz (1–1) 27,464 53–57 15½ 111 August 10 @ Yankees 5–4 Camp (1–5) Mitre (1–1) Frasor (5) 46,376 54–57 14½ 112 August 11 @ Yankees 7–5 Robertson (2–1) Carlson (1–5) Rivera (33) 46,523 54–58 15½ 113 August 12 @ Yankees 4–3 Gaudin (5–10) Camp (1–6) 47,113 54–59 16½ 114 August 14 @ Rays 5–2 Halladay (13–5) Shields (7–9) Frasor (6) 21,522 55–59 17 115 August 15 @ Rays 8–3 Kazmir (7–7) Tallet (5–7) 29,632 55–60 18 116 August 16 @ Rays 5–2 Wheeler (4–3) League (1–5) 24,625 55–61 18½ 117 August 18 Red Sox 10–9 Okajima (4–0) Janssen (2–4) Papelbon (29) 25,472 55–62 18½ 118 August 19 Red Sox 6–1 Buchholz (2–3) Halladay (13–6) 25,925 55–63 19½ 119 August 20 Red Sox 8–1 Lester (10–7) Cecil (5–2) 22,817 55–64 20 120 August 21 Angels 5–4 Rzepczynski (2–3) O'Sullivan (3–2) Janssen (1) 15,993 56–64 20 121 August 22 Angels 7–3 Santana (7–6) Richmond (6–7) 23,235 56–65 20 122 August 23 Angels 8–3 Romero (11–5) Bell (1–1) 23,935 57–65 20½ 123 August 24 Rays 12–7 Niemann (12–5) Halladay (13–7) 17,184 57–66 20½ 124 August 25 Rays 7–3 Shields (8–10) Cecil (5–3) 17,307 57–67 20½ 125 August 26 Rays 3–2 League (2–5) Howell (6–4) 15,349 58–67 20½ 126 August 28 @ Red Sox 6–5 Okajima (5–0) Tallet (5–8) Papelbon (31) 37,844 58–68 21 127 August 29 @ Red Sox 3–2 Buchholz (3–3) Romero (11–6) Papelbon (32) 37,452 58–69 22 128 August 30 @ Red Sox 7–0 Byrd (1–0) Halladay (13–8) 37,560 58–70 23 129 August 31 @ Rangers 18–10 Cecil (6–3) Holland (7–9) 16,675 59–70 23
September 16–14 (home 10–5, road 6–9) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 130 September 1 @ Rangers 5–2 Nippert (5–2) Rzepczynski (2–4) Francisco (20) 59–71 24½ 131 September 1 @ Rangers 5–2 McCarthy (6–2) Tallet (5–9) Francisco (21) 17,203 59–72 24½ 132 September 2 @ Rangers 6–4 Hunter (7–3) Richmond (6–8) Francisco (22) 21,836 59–73 25½ 133 September 3 Yankees 10–5 Aceves (10–1) Romero (11–7) 22,773 59–74 26½ 134 September 4 Yankees 6–0 Halladay (14–8) Chamberlain (8–5) 22,179 60–74 25½ 135 September 5 Yankees 6–4 Pettitte (13–6) Cecil (6–4) Hughes (3) 31,295 60–75 26½ 136 September 6 Yankees 14–8 Tallet (6–9) Mitre (3–2) 30,873 61–75 25½ 137 September 7 Twins 6–3 Crain (5–4) Richmond (6–9) Nathan (37) 13,153 61–76 27 138 September 8 Twins 6–3 Romero (12–7) Rauch (4–3) Frasor (7) 13,488 62–76 27 139 September 9 Twins 4–1 Pavano (12–11) Halladay (14–9) Nathan (38) 11,159 62–77 28 140 September 10 Twins 3–2 Cecil (7–4) Baker (13–8) Frasor (8) 11,461 63–77 27½ 141 September 11 @ Tigers 6–4 Tallet (7–9) Robertson (2–1) Frasor (9) 31,575 64–77 26½ 142 September 12 @ Tigers 8–6 League (3–5) Rodney (2–4) Frasor (10) 36,142 65–77 25½ 143 September 13 @ Tigers 7–2 Porcello (13–8) Romero (12–8) 32,468 65–78 26½ 144 September 14 @ Tigers 6–5 (10) Seay (6–3) Wolfe (1–2) 24,375 65–79 27½ 145 September 15 @ Yankees 10–4 Halladay (15–9) Mitre (3–3) 45,847 66–79 26½ 146 September 16 @ Yankees 5–4 Rivera (3–2) Frasor (6–3) 46,046 66–80 27½ 147 September 18 @ Rays 11–4 Shields (10–11) Richmond (6–10) 18,426 66–81 27½ 148 September 19 @ Rays 4–0 Garza (8–10) Romero (12–9) 22,705 66–82 28½ 149 September 20 @ Rays 3–1 Price (9–7) Halladay (15–10) Howell (17) 20,937 66–83 28½ 150 September 21 Orioles 9–2 Purcey (1–2) Tillamn (2–4) 11,598 67–83 27½ 151 September 22 Orioles 6–5 (11) Camp (2–6) Sarfate (0–1) 11,869 68–83 27½ 152 September 23 Orioles 7–3 Richmond (7–10) Guthrie (10–16) 13,743 69–83 27½ 153 September 24 Mariners 5–4 Hernández (17–5) Carlson (1–6) Aardsma (36) 15,306 69–84 28 154 September 25 Mariners 5–0 Halladay (16–10) Fister (2–4) 20,668 70–84 28 155 September 26 Mariners 5–4 (10) Frasor (7–3) Kelley (5–4) 29,783 71–84 28 156 September 27 Mariners 5–4 Wolfe (2–2) Rowland-Smith (4–4) Camp (1) 39,052 72–84 28 157 September 28 @ Red Sox 11–5 (7) Richmond (8–10) Bowden (0–1) 37,591 73–84 28 158 September 29 @ Red Sox 8–7 Romero (13–9) Buchholz (7–4) Frasor (11) 37,618 74–84 28 159 September 30 @ Red Sox 12–0 Halladay (17–10) Wakefield (11–5) 37,246 75–84 27
October 0–3 (home 0–0, road 0–3) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record GB 160 October 2 @ Orioles 13–7 Berken (6–12) Purcey (1–3) 16,921 75–85 27 161 October 3 @ Orioles 6–3 Hendrickson (6–5) Richmond (8–11) Johnson (10) 23,254 75–86 27 162 October 4 @ Orioles 5–4 (11) Albers (3–6) League (3–6) 17,969 75–87 28

Player stats

Note: Yellow background = Team leader

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases ^[34]

Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG	SB
Russ Adams	8	20	2	4	0	0	0	0	.200	0
Rod Barajas	125	429	43	97	19	0	19	71	.226	1
Michael Barrett	7	18	3	3	0	0	1	2	.167	0
José Bautista	113	336	54	79	13	3	13	79	.235	4
Raúl Chávez	51	159	10	41	8	0	2	15	.258	1
David Dellucci	22	65	5	12	4	0	0	3	.185	0
Edwin Encarnación	42	154	25	37	5	1	8	23	.240	1
Aaron Hill	158	682	103	195	37	0	36	108	.286	6
Joe Inglett	36	89	11	25	4	1	0	31	.281	3
Adam Lind	151	587	93	179	46	0	35	114	.305	1
John McDonald	73	151	18	39	7	0	4	13	.258	0
Kevin Millar	78	251	29	56	14	0	7	29	.223	0
Lyle Overbay	132	423	57	112	35	1	16	64	.265	0
Kyle Phillips	5	18	1	5	3	0	0	2	.278	0
Alex Ríos	108	436	52	115	25	2	14	62	.264	19
Scott Rolen	88	338	52	108	29	0	8	43	.320	4
Randy Ruiz	33	115	25	36	7	0	10	17	.313	1
Marco Scutaro	144	574	100	162	35	1	12	60	.282	14
Travis Snider	77	241	34	58	14	1	9	29	.241	1
Vernon Wells	158	630	84	164	37	3	15	66	.260	17
Pitcher totals	162	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Team Totals	162	5696	798	1516	339	13	209	766	.266	73

Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts ^[35]

Player	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	ER	BB	K
Jeremy Accardo	0	0	2.55	26	0	1	24.2	7	7	17	18
Bryan Bullington	0	0	3.00	4	0	0	6.0	2	2	6	5
Brian Burres	0	2	14.21	2	2	0	6.1	12	10	5	4
Shawn Camp	2	6	3.50	59	0	1	79.2	33	31	29	58
Jesse Carlson	1	6	4.66	73	0	0	67.2	37	35	21	51
Brett Cecil	7	4	5.30	18	17	0	93.1	56	55	38	69
Scott Downs	1	3	3.09	48	0	9	46.2	18	16	13	43
Jason Frasor	7	3	2.50	61	0	11	57.2	16	16	16	56
Roy Halladay	17	10	2.79	32	32	0	239.0	76	74	35	208
Dirk Hayhurst	0	0	2.78	15	0	0	22.2	7	7	9	13
Casey Janssen	2	4	5.85	21	5	1	40.0	27	26	14	24
Brandon League	3	6	4.58	67	0	0	74.2	38	38	21	76
Jesse Litsch	0	1	9.00	10	0	0	9.0	9	9	1	8
Brad Mills	0	1	14.09	2	2	0	7.2	12	12	6	9
Bill Murphy	0	0	3.18	8	0	0	11.1	4	4	8	6
David Purcey	1	3	6.19	9	9	0	48.0	35	33	30	39
Robert Ray	1	2	4.44	4	4	0	24.1	15	12	6	13
Scott Richmond	8	11	5.52	27	24	0	138.2	87	85	59	117
Ricky Romero	13	9	4.30	29	29	0	178.0	85	85	79	141
B. J. Ryan	1	1	6.53	25	0	2	20.2	15	15	17	13
Marc Rzepczynski	2	4	3.67	11	11	0	61.1	25	25	30	60
Brian Tallet	7	9	5.32	37	25	0	160.2	98	95	72	120
Brian Wolfe	2	2	8.22	14	0	0	15.1	14	14	7	11
Team Totals	75	87	4.47	162	162	25	1451.0	771	720	551	1181

Honours and awards

Aaron Hill had a career year with the Blue Jays in 2009

All-Star Game

• Aaron Hill – 2B (starter)
• Roy Halladay – P (starter)

Awards

• Aaron Hill – AL Comeback Player of the Year Award
• Aaron Hill – Silver Slugger Award -2B
• Adam Lind Silver Slugger Award -DH

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Las Vegas 51s	Pacific Coast League	Mike Basso
AA	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Eastern League	Gary Cathcart
A	Dunedin Blue Jays	Florida State League	Omar Malavé
A	Lansing Lugnuts	Midwest League	Clayton McCullough
A-Short Season	Auburn Doubledays	New York–Penn League	Dennis Holmberg
Rookie	GCL Blue Jays	Gulf Coast League	John Schneider

References

1. "Jays owner Rogers dead at 75". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
2. "Beeston appointed Jays' interim CEO". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
3. "Decline in revenue forces Blue Jays to cut sales staff" . Retrieved February 7, 2009.
4. "Recession behind official's dismissal". Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
5. "Jays add to scouting department". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
6. "Jays hire scouts". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
7. "Camp inked, Jays' streak extended". Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
8. "Blue Jays exercise Barajas option". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
9. "Burnett officially files for free agency". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
10. "Burnett reaches agreement with Yanks". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
11. "Zaun onboard to mentor Wieters". Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
12. "Red Sox come to terms with Wilkerson". Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
13. "O's playing southpaw shuffle". Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
14. "Mench signs with team in Japan". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
15. "November 2008 transactions". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
16. "Jays sign Clement to Minors contract". Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
17. "Indians outright Slocum, lose Bullington". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
18. "Jays acquire former first pick Bush". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
19. "Takahashi, Jays finalize deal". Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
20. "Blue Jays claim Burres off waivers". Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
21. "Jays claim reliever Beam off waivers". Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
22. "Jays, Hayhurst agree to Minors deal". Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
23. "Barrett invited to Jays camp". Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
24. "Blue Jays, Millar finalize deal". Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
25. "Jays sign Lane, Fahey to Minors deals". Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
26. "Jays ink quartet to Minors contracts". Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
27. "Loewen's transition under way with Jays". Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
28. "Marcum needs Tommy John surgery". Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
29. "Janssen poised to earn rotation spot". Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
30. "McGowan eager to start throwing". Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
31. "Jays injury situation nothing to sneeze at" . Retrieved April 24, 2009.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
32. "Jays' Litsch to undergo Tommy John surgery". Archived from the original on June 13, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
33. "Feature: 2009 Free Agent Draft Pick Compensation". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
34. 2009 Toronto Blue Jays season at Baseball Reference
35. 2009 Toronto Blue Jays season at Baseball Reference

External links

• 2009 Toronto Blue Jays season at Baseball Reference
• 2009 Toronto Blue Jays team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
• 2009 Toronto Blue Jays official site Archived February 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine