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7/21/2001 - Tony Fernandez: A Jay Four Times Over

Even before his latest stint with the Toronto Blue Jays, Tony Fernandez already held the record for most stints with the Blue Jays (at three). Acquired as a free agent, Fernandez will close out his career with the team he broke into the majors with.

Born June 30, 1962 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Fernandez went to high school at Gasto Fernando de Ligne. On April 24, 1979, he was signed by the Blue Jays as a non-drafted free agent.

After spending four years in the minors, Fernandez was called up to the majors, playing 15 games in late 1983, where he would eventually replace Alfredo Griffin as the starting shortstop for the Blue Jays. In 1984, Fernandez hit .270 in 88 games, and was named BBWAA Rookie of the Year for Toronto.

In 1985, he lead all American League shortstops with 791 total chances. He played in all 161 game for Toronto, hitting .289.

The next season, Fernandez became the first Blue Jays to have a 200-hit season (with 212-the most hits by a shortstop in 1986). Selected to the All-Star team, he and Jesse Barfield also became the first Blue Jay players to win Gold Glove awards.

In 1987, he was named to the All-Star Game and fulfilled a promise to manager Tony LaRussa, made when Fernandez was 12, that someday, he would play for LaRussa.

In April 1989, Tony hit his first of two career grand slams, and then, in his next at-bat, was beaned in the face by pitcher Cecilio Guante, requiring reconstructive face surgery.

On December 5th, 1990, Fernandez was sent to San Diego along with Fred McGriff in exchange for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar in what remains perhaps the biggest trade in Blue Jays history.

Fernandez spent two seasons with the Padres (being named to the All-Star team in 1992) before being traded to the Mets on October 26, 1992, for pitcher Wally Whithead, outfielder D.J. Drozier and a player to be named later (catcher Raul Casanova).

Fernandez, hampered by kidney stones was never happy in New York and was hitting just .220 when he was traded back to Toronto for outfielder Darrin Jackson on June 11, 1993. Fernandez would help to contribute to the Blue Jays’ 1993 run to the World Series. In his first game with the Jays (against Detroit), he had two hits including an RBI triple. The next day he had 5 RBI, including 2 doubles and a home run. At the end of the season, he was hitting .306 with 4 home runs, 50 RBI and a team-leading 9 triples.

In the 1993 ALCS, Fernandez hit .318 and then improved to .333 in the World Series. After the 1993 season, Fernandez left Toronto as a free agent on November 3, 1993 and signed a one-year deal with the Reds on March 8, 1994.He became the 3rd baseman for the Reds, a position he had not played since 1984. Much like he was with the Mets, Fernandez was not happy with the Reds and threatened on at least one occasion to clean out his locker. Despite this, he hit .279 with 50 RBIs and 12 stolen bases and led all National League third-basemen with a .991 fielding percentage.

A free agent after the season, Fernandez returned to New York, this time as a Yankee. On September 3, 1995, he hit for the cycle in a 10-inning game. However, his main responsibility with the Yankees was to keep the shortstop position warm for touted Yankee prospect, Derek Jeter.

He hit just .245 with 5 home runs and 45 RBI in 1995 and then spent the 1996 on the disabled list after fracturing his right elbow in a March 24 exhibition game against the Houston Astros. Declared a free agent on November 18, 1996, he signed with the Cleveland Indians on December 28, 1996. That October, Fernandez found himself in the spotlight of the post-season, for two very different reasons. First, he homered off Armando Benitez in Game 6 of the ALCS, and then in Game 7 of the World Series, his error set up the game-winning run that gave the Florida Marlins the World Series.

After the World Series, Fernandez was, once again, a free agent. On December 8, 1997, he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, making him the first three-time Blue Jay. In 1998, he was used mostly as a utility infielder, but hitting .321 that season earned him a new contract and the starting third baseman’s job in 1999.

In 1999, Tony hit over .400 for the first three months of the season thanks in part to a myriad of workout tools that earned the nickname “Mr. Gadget”. In June, he passed Julio Franco to become the Dominican Republic’s all-time major league hits leader. However, after June, he hit just .251.

After leaving the Blue Jays after the 1999 season, he went to Japan. He hit .327 with 11 home runs and 74 RBI with the Seibu Lions of the Pacific Leage.

At the beginning of the 2001 season, he signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers and was invited to spring training. He played just 28 games, mostly as their lead-off hitter, with the Brewers before being released, having hit .281 in 64 at-bats.

Toronto picked him up and signed him to a minor league contract. After an extended spring training program in Dunedin, he was called up to the major league club. Manager Buck Martinez said that he would use Fernandez mostly as a pinch-hitter.To date, he has hit .318 in 22 at bats.

Prior to the season, Fernandez, 38, announced that he would retire at the end of the season. In a season where Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn received much attention for their retirement announcements, Blue Jay fans may be saddened by Fernandez’s departure and proud to look back at his accomplishments with the team.

John M. Milner firmly believes that Joe Carter's home run in the 1993 World Series was one of the turning points of his life. Discuss this, his columns, baseball or life in general with him at docmilner@yahoo.ca.

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