Twenty-two things that have happened since the Toronto Blue Jays were last in the playoffs

Meg Sharpley
SP-JAYS9JUNE TORONTO, ON- JUNE 9 - Toronto Blue Jays fans show there support for their team during the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins at the Rogers Centre June 9, 2014. David Cooper/Toronto Star
Toronto Star

It’s  been 22 years since the Toronto Blue Jays have appeared in the MLB playoffs. The long-awaited return has prompted many fans to take last-minute vacations and sick days and pay as much as $14,000 to attend sold-out games. With the long drought finally over, we take a look back at what has happened in the 22 years since the Blue Jays last graced the World Series back in 1993.

  1. In 1993, the Rogers Centre was known as the SkyDome. The stadium was renamed in 2005 after Rogers purchased the facility.
  2. The Blue Jays logo is no longer framed by a baseball.
  3. Mariah Carey held the top spot on the Billboards Top Music Charts during the Jays’ last playoff run in 1993.
  4. The Weeknd now holds the top spot on the Billboard Top Music Charts during the Jays’ current playoff run.
  5. Pagers were slowly paving the way in the mobile phone industry, while the iPhone was 14 years away from launch.
  6. Seinfeld and Full House were dominating the TV screens.
  7. There was no such thing as apps to keep up-to-date on the latest game scores; viewers had to tune into radio stations for all the action.
  8. Sportsnet—the current broadcaster of the Jays—was five years away from its launch in 1998.
  9. Seats in the 100 level of the SkyDome for a World Series game went for $78 dollars in 1993, compared to a minimum of $300 in 2015.
  10. Since the Jays were last in a playoff game, 658 MLB playoff games have been played.
  11. The Toronto Raptors, Toronto Rock, and Toronto FC did not exist.
  12. The euro was being introduced.
  13. Friends was not on air yet and is now considered a retro show.
  14. Alex Rodriguez was the first overall draft pick in the year the Jays last made the playoffs.
  15. Drake, the famed Toronto rapper, had just turned seven, and it would be another eight years before he starred on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
  16. Justin Bieber wasn’t born yet…
  17. Canada witnessed their first female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, in 1993 for a short period.
  18. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup.
  19. Roberto Osuna, currently the Jays star closer, wasn’t even born.
  20. The average price of gas was 43 cents per litre, compared to the average today of 128 cents per litre.
  21. The World Wide Web was introduced in December of 1993.
  22. Wild cards were not yet introduced to the league.