Blue Jays honour Fernandez with commemorative patch for the 2020 season
July 13, 2020
Official Toronto Blue Jays Press Release
The Toronto Blue Jays today announced the team will pay tribute to the life and legacy of Tony Fernandez with a special “1” commemorative uniform patch (available for download here), which will be worn for the entirety of the 2020 regular season.
The patch Toronto Blue Jays’ players will wear on their uniforms in 2020 as a tribute to Tony Fernandez. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays
“There are few players in the game who can impact a team and a fan base the way Tony did in Toronto,” said Mark Shapiro, President & CEO, Toronto Blue Jays. “Beyond his impressive career numbers, achievements, and accolades, Tony resonated with baseball fans because of how he played the game and conducted himself as a teammate. To wear a patch in his memory is to honour his exceptional life on behalf of Blue Jays fans across the country.”
Tony Fernandez – who passed away on February 16, 2020 – remains the club’s franchise leader in games (1,450), hits (1,583), and triples (72).
Signed by the Blue Jays in 1979, the Dominican shortstop had four stints with the club totalling 12 seasons, including as a member of the 1993 World Series Championship team, where he led the team with nine RBI and batted .333 in the six World Series games.
Fernandez was also a five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop. His name was elevated to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence for his tremendous achievements on September 23, 2001.