The Toronto Blue Jays are heading back to the World Series for the first time in over three decades — and the world, the city, and even the way people watch sports has drastically changed since then.
The Jays are hosting the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre Friday, marking the first time the team has played in the World Series since the 1990s, when they won it all versus the Atlanta Braves in 1992, and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993.
Many fans of the team — and even current players like Trey Yesavage, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Shane Bieber — weren’t even alive when Toronto last made it to the Fall Classic.
So for the uninitiated, here’s how Toronto looked and celebrated when the Jays last played on baseball’s biggest stage.
Toronto’s sports scene
The Jays were riding high back in the early 1990s, especially after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.
The decisive home run by Joe Carter in that game, with legendary radio announcer Tom Cheek exclaiming, “Touch ’em all, Joe,” became one of the most iconic moments in Canadian sports history.
WATCH | Carter’s decisive home run:
George Springer’s massive blast to win Game 7 of the American League Championship Series gave fans a similarly huge moment in 2025 — and with hopefully more to come in this series with the Dodgers.
Though the Jays found success that season, sadly the same couldn’t be said for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were bounced from the playoffs in 1993 by Wayne Gretzky’s Los Angeles Kings.
That season was also the last time the Stanley Cup was won by a Canadian team, with the Montreal Canadiens beating the Kings in the final.
Unlike scenes of rioting the night of the victory, a parade to celebrate is a much more peaceful affair.
The Toronto Argonauts finished in fourth place in the CFL’s East Division with a 3-15 record and failed to make the playoffs, ending up just one win behind playoff bound Ottawa.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors were established as the NBA’s first Canadian team since the Toronto Huskies in 1947. They played their first game in 1995.
The NBA announces a franchise for Toronto that will begin play in the 1995-96 season. Aired Nov. 14, 1993 on CBC at Six.
That year, the city also hosted the first Molson Indy at Exhibition Place, which was won by Toronto’s Paul Tracy, and the 4th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics at the Skydome, now known as Rogers Centre. Canada placed fifth in the competition.
Pop culture
Grunge reigned supreme back in 1993, with Nirvana playing the band’s final Toronto concert in November at Maple Leaf Gardens as part of the In Utero tour – though some fans were left grumbling because the setlist didn’t end up including the band’s biggest hit, Smells Like Teen Spirit.
But Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You was the biggest song of 1993, topping the year-end charts and spending 10 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
WATCH | The biggest song of the year:
Some of the biggest TV shows of the year included Seinfeld and Home Improvement, while it also marked the debut of the X-Files, which went on to be a science fiction juggernaut.
Meanwhile at the box office, Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Fugitive, Schindler’s List, and The Firm were some of the biggest movies of the year.
CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes also premiered back in 1993.
Mary Walsh and Rick Mercer talk to CBC’s Midday about their satirical news program.
Politics
June Rowlands was the Mayor of Toronto in 1993. She was the city’s first female mayor. She served from 1991 to 1994, succeeding Art Eggleton and being followed by Barbara Hall.
At the time, Toronto was part of a two-tier system known as Metropolitan Toronto, which included the City of Toronto and six surrounding municipalities. Current Mayor Olivia Chow served as a Metropolitan Toronto councillor for Ward 20 (Trinity—Spadina), a position she held from 1992 until the merger of the city councils in 1998.
Kim Campbell became Canada’s prime minister in June 1993, replacing Brian Mulroney. She was the first woman to hold the position. Her term was short-lived as the October 1993 election saw the Progressive Conservatives reduced to just two seats in the House of Commons and Campbell was not among the candidates elected to Parliament. She resigned as PC leader that December.
Bob Rae was Ontario’s premier from 1990 to 1995, leading the province’s first and only NDP government.
Buildings and transit
The Hockey Hall of Fame reopened in its current permanent location at Brookfield Place in June of 1993 after moving from the Canadian National Exhibition.
Medieval Times also opened its doors in that year in the Government Building at Exhibition Place, where it still operates today. The 1911 heritage exhibition building was re-purposed to host the medieval-themed dinner theatre.
The Princess of Wales Theatre opened in May with the Canadian premiere of the musical Miss Saigon.
Though they’re staples for shoppers in 2025, shopping centres like Vaughan Mills and The Shops at Don Mills weren’t yet open in 1993. Similarly, neither Scotiabank Arena nor BMO field had been built yet.
Toronto-founded record store chain A&A Records also shuttered in 1993 after filing for bankruptcy.
The TTC completed its program of phasing out trolley buses, with the last line converted to diesel bus operation by 1993.
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