On Oct. 23, 1993, Joe Carter etched his name into baseball immortality with a swing that sent the Toronto Blue Jays to their second straight World Series title.
Thirty-two years later, Carter’s walk-off blast remains the most iconic moment in franchise history — but it is not alone. Over the decades, a handful of home runs have come to symbolize the Blue Jays’ postseason identity: dramatic, defiant, and unforgettable.
From Carter’s legendary shot to Jose Bautista’s emphatic bat flip, Edwin Encarnacion’s extra-innings heroics, and George Springer’s Game 7 dagger in 2025, these moments have shaped the club’s legacy.
Joe Carter’s World Series walk-off (Oct. 23, 1993)
It was the bottom of the ninth at SkyDome, Game 6 of the World Series. The Blue Jays trailed the Philadelphia Phillies 6–5, with two men on base. Facing closer Mitch Williams, Carter worked the count before launching a 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats.
As Carter leapt around the bases, shouting “Touch ’em all, Joe,” the Blue Jays became just the second team in history to win the World Series on a walk-off home run.
The image of Carter’s jubilant sprint remains one of the most replayed highlights in baseball history — a moment that defined not just a season, but an era.
Jose Bautista’s bat flip heard around the world (Oct. 14, 2015)
For 22 years, the Blue Jays had not won a postseason series. That drought ended in the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, but not without chaos.
In the decisive Game 5 at Rogers Centre, with the score tied 3–3 in the seventh inning, Bautista stepped to the plate. He crushed a three-run homer off former Blue Jays reliever Sam Dyson deep into left field, then punctuated it with a bat flip that instantly became a cultural flashpoint.
The moment electrified a generation of fans and reignited Toronto’s love affair with October baseball. Bautista himself said it best in an article with the Players’ Tribune written weeks later.
“It’s all part of the show. And you’re kidding yourself if you think baseball isn’t a show. It’s a spectacle. It’s entertainment. If it wasn’t, then 11.5 million Canadians wouldn’t have tuned in to watch Game 5, and MLB’s TV contracts wouldn’t be worth what they’re worth.”
Edwin Encarnacion’s wild-card walk-off (Oct. 4, 2016)
One year later, the Blue Jays found themselves in another do-or-die game, this time the American League Wild Card against their division rival, the Baltimore Orioles.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, with two runners on, Encarnacion delivered. He launched a walk-off three-run homer into the second deck at Rogers Centre, sending the crowd into delirium and the Jays into the ALDS.
Encarnacion’s calm, almost businesslike trot around the bases, elbow up to signify his fan-favourite parrot posture, contrasted with the chaos in the stands. It was a swing that embodied his steady power and clutch reputation.
To this day, Orioles fans and baseball fans in general still pose the question: Why did Orioles manager Buck Showalter turn to Ubaldo Jimenez and not AL Cy Young candidate Zack Britton in that pivotal moment?
Springer Dinger: The outfielder’s Game 7 heroics (Oct. 20, 2025)
Fast forward to October 2025. The Blue Jays, chasing their first pennant in more than three decades, faced the Seattle Mariners in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the American League Championship Series after trailing 2-0 in the ALCS.
With Toronto trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the 36-year-old Springer, who had taken a 96 mph sinker off the knee days earlier, stepped up. He crushed a three-run homer to left-centre, giving the Blue Jays the lead.
The Blue Jays would go on to win the pennant, booking their first World Series appearance since 1993.
Blue Jays fans are collectively hoping for a fifth home run similar to Carter’s, Bautista’s, Encarnacion’s and Springer’s that could put Toronto on top of the baseball world for the first time in 32 years.
Should it happen against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a Goliath of a baseball team, it will immediately become one of baseball’s most memorable storylines and a fairytale ending to a season for the Blue Jays.
