1996 Toronto Blue Jays season

The 1996 Toronto Blue Jays season was the 20th season in franchise history. The season involved the Blue Jays finishing fourth in the American League East with a record of 74 wins and 88 losses. The Blue Jays had a losing record for the third consecutive season.

Transactions
Transactions by the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season before the 1996 season.

Regular season
A new tradition would start in 1996 as the Blue Jays donned red uniforms for the first time. These uniforms would be worn only on Canada Day and would feature "Canada" on the back of their jerseys rather than a player's name. Eventual Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen would start the Canada Day match against the Baltimore Orioles.

The final series of the season would be embroiled in controversy. Against the American League East champion Baltimore Orioles, two events would define the Orioles season. The game on Friday, September 27, 1996, would go down as one of the most infamous events in baseball history, as former Blue Jay Roberto Alomar would spit at umpire John Hirschbeck. The Sunday game would be a coming-out party for Brady Anderson, as he would hit his 50th home run of the regular season off Pat Hentgen. The total would break Frank Robinson's team record for most home runs in a season.

1996 also marked the end of an era for the Blue Jays, as they would redesign their logo and uniforms in the following year and also radically shake up their roster.

Game log

 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Blue Jays team member
 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Blue Jays team member

Opening Day starters

 * Tilson Brito
 * Joe Carter
 * Alex Gonzalez
 * Pat Hentgen
 * Otis Nixon
 * Charlie O'Brien
 * John Olerud
 * Robert Pérez
 * Juan Samuel
 * Ed Sprague

Transactions
Transactions for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1996 regular season.

1996 MLB Draft

 * June 4, 1996: 1996 Major League Baseball draft
 * Billy Koch was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 1st round (4th pick). Player signed August 23, 1996.
 * Joe Lawrence was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 1st round (16th pick). Player signed July 1, 1996.
 * Orlando Hudson was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 33rd round, but did not sign.

Game log

 * † At Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada.

‡ Game suspended due to curfew after the 6th inning. Completed on May 4.

Starters by position
''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases''

Other batters
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Award winners

 * Juan Guzmán, Pitcher of the Month Award, April
 * Juan Guzmán, American League ERA Leader, 2.93
 * Pat Hentgen, Pitcher of the Month Award, July
 * Pat Hentgen, Pitcher of the Month Award, August
 * Pat Hentgen, Cy Young Award

All-Star Game
 * Joe Carter, OF
 * Joe Carter received boos at the All-Star Game, as it took place at Veterans Stadium, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for his home run that ended the 1993 World Series.