41 Years Ago Today, the Blue Jays Won a Game With an Odd Twist

A pitchers duel gained meaning years down the line

Doyle Alexander pitching for Blue Jays | Blue Bird Banter

A 2-1 victory on Sept. 10 is the kind of mundane result that can get lost in a month when teams are either gearing up for the postseason or slogging through the final weeks of the season. But this particular game would take on a strange bit of irony just a few years later.

Doyle Alexander went the distance for Toronto, allowing just one run on seven hits while striking out eight. Jack Morris took the loss for Detroit despite holding the Blue Jays to only two runs. Alexander posted a 3.45 ERA that season and helped Toronto capture the first division title in franchise history. He would later be traded to Atlanta before eventually landing with Detroit in 1987. That move would come back to haunt the Blue Jays, as Alexander became one of the biggest reasons the Tigers overtook Toronto for the AL East crown two years later.

Alexander Haunted Toronto

Jack Morris during the Baseball Hall of Fame press conference Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 11 starts with the Tigers, including two victories over the Blue Jays during the final week of the season. Those wins helped Detroit finish 98-64 and capture the AL East, while Toronto finished just two games back at 96-66.

Jack Morris later acknowledged just how important Alexander was to Detroit's run, telling Sportsnet, "We're never there without Doyle." The Tigers ultimately reached the AL Championship Series, where they lost to the Minnesota Twins in five games.

Morris was plenty useful himself for Detroit that season, posting a 3.38 ERA across 34 starts. He eventually left the Tigers in free agency, spent 1991 with Minnesota, and then signed with Toronto ahead of the 1992 season. Five years after helping Detroit dash the Blue Jays' division hopes, He helped Toronto win its first World Series. His 4.04 ERA was a dip in production, but he still went 21-6 across 34 starts and provided respectable production at 37.

Morris pitched for two more seasons before retiring after the 1994 campaign. His career eventually ended with a plaque in Cooperstown, although the honor took time. After spending 15 years on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, Morris was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Modern Baseball Era Committee and inducted as part of the Class of 2018.

Alexander's career ended more quietly with Detroit in 1989. His journey didn't conclude with a plaque in Cooperstown, but a nearly 20-year major league career that included an important role on a division-winning team is hardly something to scoff at.