<p>Canada Day has a different feel this year for many reasons. Regardless of what&#8217;s happening outside the baseball realm, there are important implications for the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Blue Jays</a>&#8216; Canada Day game and their four-game set against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre.</p>
<p>For the first time in forever, the Blue Jays have a legitimate shot at closing the gap in the AL East. Taking three of four, or heck, even sweeping the entire series, could thrust Toronto back into the division race. So not only is there national pride on the line in this game and series, but so too is the division.</p>
<p>Just like the Opening Day game, the Canada Day game is always a spectacle. Nearly 40,000 fans donned red jerseys, and the giant Canada flag unfurled onto the field. This is what Blue Jays fans love to see year after year. Win or lose, it always tends to be a fun experience at the ballpark, but overall, Canada Day has not been kind to the Blue Jays.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s a look at their overall record on Canada Day, some standout Canada Day game memories over the years, clutch performers, and the Blue Jays&#8217; best and worst Canada Day performances.</p>
<h2>Overall record</h2>
<p>The Blue Jays have played 45 games on Canada Day since their inception in 1977. The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-gdb-84-0-welcoming-new-york-yankees-rogers-centre-first-time-season">Blue Jays</a> did not play on July 1st in 1981 (MLB lockout), 1992 (off day) and 2020 (COVID). Overall, they have a 16-29 record, which is a .355 winning percentage. The Blue Jays are 14-9 at home on Canada Day and 2-10 on the road.</p>
<p>Due to the nature of scheduling (or perhaps a lack of importance in the past), it was fairly common for the Blue Jays to play on the road on July 1st. But they&#8217;ve spent the last 14 consecutive Canada Days at home in the Rogers Centre.</p>
<h2>Most common opponents</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s to be expected that the Blue Jays would run into divisional foes most commonly throughout the schedule. The Blue Jays have faced the Boston Red Sox (eight times), Baltimore Orioles (six times), and, surprisingly, the Seattle Mariners (six times). Toronto is 2-6 lifetime on Canada Day against the Red Sox, 1-5 against the Orioles and 1-5 against the Mariners.</p>
<h2>The 19-inning marathon (2016)</h2>
<p>For six hours and 13 minutes, the Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians had fans on the edges of their seats. This was the longest game in franchise history, spanning 19 innings before famed Blue Jays killer Carlos Santana hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the 19th inning.</p>
<p>In total, both teams combined to use 19 pitchers, and the Blue Jays paraded two of their position players &#8211; Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins &#8211; with no more pitchers left in Toronto&#8217;s bullpen. Goins landed on the injured list after this game. This was also the game when Edwin Encarnacion and John Gibbons were ejected in the first inning after arguing balls and strikes.</p>
<p>Incredibly, this was one of two 19-inning games played by the Blue Jays. The other was their 6-5 walk-off win against the Detroit Tigers at home on August 10, 2014.</p>
<h2>Justin Smoak: Captain Canada in disguise?</h2>
<p>Justin Smoak is a South Carolina native, but he loved himself some home cookin&#8217; on Canada Day. In 2015, he demolished this pitch from Robbie Ross. This was a 474-foot home run, which still stands as the longest home run hit by a Blue Jay in the Statcast era. This was the first of his two home runs on the day, one from each side of the plate.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Thursday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a home run that went 456 feet. It&#39;s the 14th longest home run in Blue Jays history (tracked by Statcast).</p>
<p>The longest home run? This 474 foot shot by Justin Smoak from Canada Day 2015. <a href="https://t.co/zc234eBsbM">pic.twitter.com/zc234eBsbM</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJayHunter/status/1383437518280957962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>In 2016, he hit another home run on Canada Day against the Cleveland Guardians, the aforementioned 19-inning game the Blue Jays lost 1-2. Smoak&#8217;s solo home run was the only run produced by the Blue Jays in that game. Then in 2019, Smoak struck again with a 2 HR performance against the Kansas City Royals.</p>
<p>In five appearances on July 1st with the Blue Jays, Smoak had five home runs.</p>
<h2>Biggest win: 14-0 vs Tampa Bay Rays (2004)</h2>
<p>On Canada Day 2005, the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/mlb-betting-preview-june-30-new-york-yankees-vs-toronto-blue-jays-predictions-2">Blue Jays</a> had a 35-44 record and were 10 games out of a Wild Card spot. Aside from this being Carlos Delgado&#8217;s final year as a Blue Jay, there was nary to be excited about for the local ball club in 2004.</p>
<p>For one day at least, the Blue Jays looked like a juggernaut on Canada Day 2004, drubbing the Rays with a 14-0 shutout. Big contributors for the Blue Jays that day included a four-hit performance by Frank Menechino and three hits and RBIs from Erik Hinske. Miguel Batista pitched seven scoreless games for the Blue Jays.</p>
<p>Former Blue Jay turned Ray Mark Hendrickson lasted only three innings for the opposition, giving up five earned runs.</p>
<h2>Biggest loss: 2-11 vs Seattle Mariners (1983)</h2>
<p>What is it about the Blue Jays&#8217; unable to beat the Seattle Mariners on Canada Day? Toronto experienced its first July 1st defeat at the hands of the Mariners in 1983, with a 2-11 loss at home at SkyDome. Blue Jays starter John Gott lasted only 2 2/3 innings before he was yanked from the game in the third inning.</p>
<p>His final stat line read as 2.2 innings pitched, 7 hits, 6 earned runs, 1 strikeout and 1 walk. Mike Morgan and Dave Geisel cleaned up the mess for the Blue Jays, while Mariners starter Jim Beattie went the distance for a complete game victory.</p>
<h2>Best pitching performance: Ricky Romero vs Tampa Bay Rays (2009)</h2>
<figure id="attachment_87708" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-87708" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-87708 size-large" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-114956-1024x70.png" alt="" width="1024" height="70" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-114956-1024x70.png 1024w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-114956-300x20.png 300w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-114956-768x52.png 768w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-114956.png 1086w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-87708" class="wp-caption-text">Baseball Reference</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Blue Jays and Rays have traded plenty of blows over the years, and this game on Canada Day 2009 did not disappoint. Ricky Romero twirled a gem at home against Tampa: eight innings pitched, four hits allowed, zero runs and seven strikeouts. Romero&#8217;s GameScore of 77 is the best by a Blue Jays pitcher to work in a game on July 1.</p>
<h2>Best hitting performance: Jesse Barfield vs Oakland Athletics (1984)</h2>
<figure id="attachment_87709" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-87709" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-87709 size-large" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-115209-1024x49.png" alt="" width="1024" height="49" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-115209-1024x49.png 1024w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-115209-300x14.png 300w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-115209-768x37.png 768w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-115209.png 1268w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-87709" class="wp-caption-text">Baseball Reference</figcaption></figure>
<p>Who has the distinction of having the most clutch game by a <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/instant-reaction-toronto-blue-jays-win-wild-one-over-yankees-kick-off-homestand">Blue Jays</a> hitter in a single game on Canada Day? That would be legendary Blue Jays right fielder Jesse Barfield. He had himself a day on July 1, 1984, against the Oakland Athletics.</p>
<p>Barfield went 4 for 4 on the day with two home runs and four RBIs. Not only did he hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, but Barfield also smacked a go-ahead three-run in the seventh inning to give the Blue Jays a 7-6 lead in the eventual win. His .606 WPA on the day was the single-highest total for a Blue Jays hitter on Canada Day.</p>
<hr />
<p><a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85322" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01.png 727w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01-300x167.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></a></p>
<p>Celebrate <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">Vladdy’s big news</a> in style with the <em>exclusive</em> new <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">BlueJaysNation Vladdy merch</a> — available only at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">NationGear.ca</a>! Rep a future Hall of Famer and wear your team&#8217;s pride loud. Limited drop. Don’t miss out.</p>


Canada Day has a different feel this year for many reasons. Regardless of what's happening outside the baseball realm, there are important implications for the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Blue Jays</a>' Canada Day game and their four-game set against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre.

For the first time in forever, the Blue Jays have a legitimate shot at closing the gap in the AL East. Taking three of four, or heck, even sweeping the entire series, could thrust Toronto back into the division race. So not only is there national pride on the line in this game and series, but so too is the division.

Just like the Opening Day game, the Canada Day game is always a spectacle. Nearly 40,000 fans donned red jerseys, and the giant Canada flag unfurled onto the field. This is what Blue Jays fans love to see year after year. Win or lose, it always tends to be a fun experience at the ballpark, but overall, Canada Day has not been kind to the Blue Jays.

Here's a look at their overall record on Canada Day, some standout Canada Day game memories over the years, clutch performers, and the Blue Jays' best and worst Canada Day performances.
<h2>Overall record</h2>
The Blue Jays have played 45 games on Canada Day since their inception in 1977. The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-gdb-84-0-welcoming-new-york-yankees-rogers-centre-first-time-season">Blue Jays</a> did not play on July 1st in 1981 (MLB lockout), 1992 (off day) and 2020 (COVID). Overall, they have a 16-29 record, which is a .355 winning percentage. The Blue Jays are 14-9 at home on Canada Day and 2-10 on the road.

Due to the nature of scheduling (or perhaps a lack of importance in the past), it was fairly common for the Blue Jays to play on the road on July 1st. But they've spent the last 14 consecutive Canada Days at home in the Rogers Centre.
<h2>Most common opponents</h2>
It's to be expected that the Blue Jays would run into divisional foes most commonly throughout the schedule. The Blue Jays have faced the Boston Red Sox (eight times), Baltimore Orioles (six times), and, surprisingly, the Seattle Mariners (six times). Toronto is 2-6 lifetime on Canada Day against the Red Sox, 1-5 against the Orioles and 1-5 against the Mariners.
<h2>The 19-inning marathon (2016)</h2>
For six hours and 13 minutes, the Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians had fans on the edges of their seats. This was the longest game in franchise history, spanning 19 innings before famed Blue Jays killer Carlos Santana hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the 19th inning.

In total, both teams combined to use 19 pitchers, and the Blue Jays paraded two of their position players - Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins - with no more pitchers left in Toronto's bullpen. Goins landed on the injured list after this game. This was also the game when Edwin Encarnacion and John Gibbons were ejected in the first inning after arguing balls and strikes.

Incredibly, this was one of two 19-inning games played by the Blue Jays. The other was their 6-5 walk-off win against the Detroit Tigers at home on August 10, 2014.
<h2>Justin Smoak: Captain Canada in disguise?</h2>
Justin Smoak is a South Carolina native, but he loved himself some home cookin' on Canada Day. In 2015, he demolished this pitch from Robbie Ross. This was a 474-foot home run, which still stands as the longest home run hit by a Blue Jay in the Statcast era. This was the first of his two home runs on the day, one from each side of the plate.

https://twitter.com/BlueJayHunter/status/1383437518280957962

In 2016, he hit another home run on Canada Day against the Cleveland Guardians, the aforementioned 19-inning game the Blue Jays lost 1-2. Smoak's solo home run was the only run produced by the Blue Jays in that game. Then in 2019, Smoak struck again with a 2 HR performance against the Kansas City Royals.

In five appearances on July 1st with the Blue Jays, Smoak had five home runs.
<h2>Biggest win: 14-0 vs Tampa Bay Rays (2004)</h2>
On Canada Day 2005, the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/mlb-betting-preview-june-30-new-york-yankees-vs-toronto-blue-jays-predictions-2">Blue Jays</a> had a 35-44 record and were 10 games out of a Wild Card spot. Aside from this being Carlos Delgado's final year as a Blue Jay, there was nary to be excited about for the local ball club in 2004.

For one day at least, the Blue Jays looked like a juggernaut on Canada Day 2004, drubbing the Rays with a 14-0 shutout. Big contributors for the Blue Jays that day included a four-hit performance by Frank Menechino and three hits and RBIs from Erik Hinske. Miguel Batista pitched seven scoreless games for the Blue Jays.

Former Blue Jay turned Ray Mark Hendrickson lasted only three innings for the opposition, giving up five earned runs.
<h2>Biggest loss: 2-11 vs Seattle Mariners (1983)</h2>
What is it about the Blue Jays' unable to beat the Seattle Mariners on Canada Day? Toronto experienced its first July 1st defeat at the hands of the Mariners in 1983, with a 2-11 loss at home at SkyDome. Blue Jays starter John Gott lasted only 2 2/3 innings before he was yanked from the game in the third inning.

His final stat line read as 2.2 innings pitched, 7 hits, 6 earned runs, 1 strikeout and 1 walk. Mike Morgan and Dave Geisel cleaned up the mess for the Blue Jays, while Mariners starter Jim Beattie went the distance for a complete game victory.
<h2>Best pitching performance: Ricky Romero vs Tampa Bay Rays (2009)</h2>
[caption id="attachment_87708" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-87708 size-large" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-114956-1024x70.png" alt="" width="1024" height="70" /> Baseball Reference[/caption]

The Blue Jays and Rays have traded plenty of blows over the years, and this game on Canada Day 2009 did not disappoint. Ricky Romero twirled a gem at home against Tampa: eight innings pitched, four hits allowed, zero runs and seven strikeouts. Romero's GameScore of 77 is the best by a Blue Jays pitcher to work in a game on July 1.
<h2>Best hitting performance: Jesse Barfield vs Oakland Athletics (1984)</h2>
[caption id="attachment_87709" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-87709 size-large" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-29-115209-1024x49.png" alt="" width="1024" height="49" /> Baseball Reference[/caption]

Who has the distinction of having the most clutch game by a <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/instant-reaction-toronto-blue-jays-win-wild-one-over-yankees-kick-off-homestand">Blue Jays</a> hitter in a single game on Canada Day? That would be legendary Blue Jays right fielder Jesse Barfield. He had himself a day on July 1, 1984, against the Oakland Athletics.

Barfield went 4 for 4 on the day with two home runs and four RBIs. Not only did he hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, but Barfield also smacked a go-ahead three-run in the seventh inning to give the Blue Jays a 7-6 lead in the eventual win. His .606 WPA on the day was the single-highest total for a Blue Jays hitter on Canada Day.

<hr />

<a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85322" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>

Celebrate <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">Vladdy’s big news</a> in style with the <em>exclusive</em> new <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">BlueJaysNation Vladdy merch</a> — available only at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">NationGear.ca</a>! Rep a future Hall of Famer and wear your team's pride loud. Limited drop. Don’t miss out.

The Blue Jays on Canada Day: Records, memories and standout performances

Recent articles from Ian Hunter

Breaking News