2009 Toronto Blue Jays season
| 2009 Toronto Blue Jays | |
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| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Results | |
| Record | 75–87 (.463) |
| Divisional place | 4th |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Rogers; Paul Beeston (CEO) |
| General manager(s) | J. P. Ricciardi |
| Manager(s) | Cito Gaston |
| Local television |
TSN, TSN2 (Rod Black, Pat Tabler) Rogers Sportsnet (Jamie Campbell, Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks, Darrin Fletcher) |
| Local radio |
FAN 590 (Jerry Howarth, Alan Ashby, Mike Wilner) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 2009 Toronto Blue Jays season was the franchise's 33rd in Major League Baseball, and the 20th full season of play at the Rogers Centre. The team was managed by Cito Gaston, who was hired by the team midway through the 2008 season. General Manager J. P. Ricciardi was fired on the penultimate day of the season, as the team again failed to make the playoffs. He was replaced by Assistant General Manager Alex Anthopoulos.
The team started the season well, and was in first place in the American League East with a 27–14 record. The team was swept by the Red Sox at Fenway Park from May 19 to 21, the first of nine straight losses that ultimately led to a disappointing season with a record of 75–87, 28 games behind the division lead, and 20 games behind the wild card spot. It was the first time that Toronto had finished with a losing record since 2005, when they finished 80–82.
Ted Rogers, the founder of Rogers Communications and the Blue Jays' owner, died at the age of 75 on December 2, 2008, at his home in Toronto. Rogers purchased the Blue Jays in 2000, hoping to lead the franchise to its first playoff berth since the club last won the World Series in 1993. The team continues to be owned and operated by Rogers Blue Jays Baseball Partnership, a division of Rogers Communications.
Prior to Rogers' death, the team named Paul Beeston as interim president of baseball operations and chief operating officer replacing retiring president Paul Godfrey. The first employee in Toronto Blue Jays history, Beeston served in the same capacity with the organization from 1989 to 1997. Soon after being introduced on October 14, 2008, Beeston began a significant reorganization of the baseball operations of the club. In the wake of the global financial crisis and the loss of advertising revenue, the team let go of several employees from its media division on December 2.
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