The 1987 season was the worst season for the Toronto Blue Jays. After squandering a 3-1 series lead in the ALCS in 1985, the Blue Jays finished the season with 86 victories and missed the playoffs entirely in 1986.
In 1987, though, they appeared to be back on track, going 28-19 through the first two months of the season, owing to future AL MVP George Bell directing the club’s most potent offense to that date.
Attendance was at an all-time high, Fred McGriff had just debuted as a rookie, and Tom Henke had established himself as one of baseball’s most outstanding closers.
Until the last week of the regular season, everything looked to be falling into place.
The Blue Jays were 3.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers in the AL East race at the time, and their second pennant was within grasp.
The Jays then fell to the Tigers in the series finale on Sunday, Sept. 27 and the margin of victory has shrunk to 2.5 games.
The Blue Jays were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series at Exhibition Stadium, setting up a loser-goes-home three-game series with the Tigers to complete the season.
The Blue Jays were swept once more, losing seven consecutive games to finish two games behind Detroit and miss the playoffs with 96 wins.
It doesn’t get much worse from there.
