On a frigid April morning in 1977, Jeff Smith skipped school, bundled up and boarded a series of buses, subways and streetcars bound for a stadium he had never seen.
The 15-year-old had spent weeks hearing about Toronto’s brand-new Major League Baseball team and was determined to be there when history began.
FULL JAYS COVERAGE
- Take a look inside the new-look Rogers Centre ahead of the Blue Jays home opener
- ‘The entire neighbourhood really feels the impact’: Downtown businesses excited for start of new Blue Jays season
- This Toronto Blue Jays fan has been to 37 home openers. Now, that tradition is about to end
- What are the chances of another World Series run for the Toronto Blue Jays?
Now, as the Blue Jays embark on their 50th season with their home opener against the Athletics set for the Rogers Centre tonight, Smith is reflecting on the experience and what it meant to be a part of the club’s early days in Toronto.
“We were so excited,” Smith told CTV News Toronto. “I really wanted to be there for the opening game.”
Smith, now 64 and living in Barrie Ont., woke up early that morning and asked his mother one more time if he could skip school.
“I was shocked when she turned around and said, yeah, definitely, go ahead, make sure you dress warm and have a good time,” he recalled.
With just a few dollars in his pocket, Smith travelled across the city and managed to buy a $2 bleacher ticket at Exhibition Stadium — the site of the first game in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I didn’t even expect to get the ticket,” he said. “But when I got the ticket and looked at it in my hands, it was just chills running down my spine.”
First opening day for the Blue Jays, a Zamboni machine being used to clear snow off the Exhibition Stadium field, April 7, 1977. pic.twitter.com/5t15Advq1W
— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) December 16, 2024
The temperature hovered at around – 1 C at first pitch but it felt closer to – 7 with the wind chill and there were flurries throughout the day.
At one point prior to the game a Zamboni rolled onto the field to help clear the snow — a surreal scene that never left the mind of many Blue Jays faithful.
“When the Zamboni came out, it felt like true Canadiana,” Smith said. “You’re so used to watching a Zamboni on the hockey rink, but when it came out to do a Blue Jays game, it was just hilarious.”
‘It was electric’
Smith remembers the excitement inside the stadium that day even more vividly than the snow.
“It was electric,” he said. “We were shivering, we were so cold. But everybody was friendly… we didn’t know each other, but we were still talking about, ‘My God, this is history in the making.’”
From his spot in the bleachers, Smith watched the first run, the first out and the first win in franchise history – a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
“It was just a total experience that I hope I’ll never, ever forget,” he said.
He even went home afterward and tried to spot himself in the crowd while watching highlights on television.
“You couldn’t even see the stadium,” he said with a laugh. “But I said, ‘No, I’m right in there.’”
Smith was one of dozens of fans who reached out to CTV News sharing memories of what was a brand new franchise not just for Toronto — but all of Canada.
For many longtime supporters, the Jays 50th anniversary season – coming on the heels of a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the World Series last November - brings memories of those early and frigid days
A lifelong connection
For others, the Blue Jays became a passion that grew over decades.
Paul Bychko of Sault Ste. Marie Ont. first became fascinated with the team as a child after receiving a set of Blue Jays fire safety cards at a local fire station.
“I looked at them and I’m like, ‘Whoa,’” he said. “I was just intrigued by the pictures and the stats… and it kind of really generated my interest.”
He began listening to games on a small football helmet radio while waiting through his sisters’ dance practices.
“I remember being very intrigued by the voices of Tom and Jerry,” he said, referring to legendary broadcasters Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth. “They kind of painted a picture… I close my eyes, I can still hear them talk.”
Today, Bychko’s passion has grown into a collection of more than 13,000 Blue Jays items — from historic ticket stubs to autographed baseballs and jerseys.
But his favourite memories involve travelling to Toronto with his father for games.
“You could tell my dad was just in awe of being there,” he said. “We kind of made the decision year after year to make a pilgrimage out of it.”
Now he shares that experience with his own sons.
“It’s everything,” Bychko said. “I grew up watching baseball and the Blue Jays, and now my boys watch it with me.”
Passing it down
For North York resident Nick Colantonio, the team’s history has been intertwined with his own life.
Born just weeks before the Blue Jays began playing in 1977, Colantonio attended his first game at age 10 — a moment he says hooked him immediately.
“To me, baseball is like a chess match,” he said. “It just hooked me.”
Over the years he has attended hundreds of games, including nearly every home opener since 1999.
One of his most meaningful moments came when he played catch with his daughter on the field at Rogers Centre during a fan event.
“I swear this might sound corny, but it was like the ‘Field of Dreams,’ ‘Let’s have a catch,’” he said. “We’re on the field where the Blue Jays play… it was a heartfelt moment.”
Now, Colantonio hopes the next generation of fans will carry the tradition forward.
“You want this team to be around when my kids are my age,” he said. “Good or bad, win or lose, you just show up.”
A family tradition
Elaine Vanseader, 79, remembers waiting years for Toronto to finally get its own Major League Baseball team.
After moving to the city from the Detroit area in the early 1970s, she spent six years without attending a live baseball game.
“I was ecstatically happy,” she said of the announcement Toronto would receive a team. “Six years without baseball wasn’t fun.”
Vanseader was one of the lucky fans who won tickets to the first Blue Jays game in 1977 and attended with her husband and young son.
“We all wore our winter clothes,” she said. “It was snowing… but it was fun. You almost ignored the snow because it was so exciting.”
Over the years, games became a family tradition — one she now shares with her grandson, a competitive youth baseball player.
“Taking him to a Blue Jays game is amazing,” she said. “You just see the joy in him watching the game.”
Nearly half a century after that snowy day at Exhibition Stadium, fans across Canada are still carrying those memories — and passing them on.
And for some, like Jeff Smith, the feeling inside that stadium in 1977 has never quite faded.
“I’ve been to many Blue Jays games since,” he said. “But the electricity that was in the stadium that day… nothing matches it.”
