His First And Last Blue Jays Game.

On April 7, 1977 I literally walked upon the second person who I would see die right in front of me. 

I had just finished working as a vendor at the Toronto Blue Jays first ever game. The sellout crowd of just under 45,000 fans including me had witnessed history firsthand on that day. It had been a very spring like day when I arrived at Exhibition Stadium on that morning to start my first ever job. But now it was very cold and it felt like it was getting much colder.

It had finally stopped snowing and the late afternoon sun was now shining when I decided to call it a day and head on back home. I was dog tired and I couldn’t even fathom how many stairs I climbed on that afternoon. My main objective now was to beat the crowds soon to be walking over to the Dufferin Gates and hopefully get a seat on the bus for my long ride home. 

I exited the employee entrance at gate 10 halfway through the eighth inning. I was not properly dressed and I was already feeling cold before I started out on my journey home. I knew that if I walked briskly it would warm me up while at the same time giving me a head start on the sellout crowd soon to be exiting the stadium.

Toronto’s own mistake by the lake was Exhibition Stadium. The stadium was on the shores of Lake Ontario where the cold fierce winds would play havoc with many spring and fall Blue Jays games. Exhibition Stadium was a multipurpose venue hosting not only Blue Jays games, but also the Toronto Argonaut football games. Big concerts also took place at the stadium during the warmer summer months. 

A former Blue Jays President once noted that Exhibition Stadium 'wasn't just the worst stadium in baseball, it was the worst stadium in sports'. 

On this day the first ever opening day, it would also mark the first and only time a Major League baseball game had ever been played on a field covered in snow. The Blue Jays had actually borrowed the Maple Leaf Gardens Zamboni to assist in removing the snow from the field.

I had sold hot dogs for the last four hours in the stands. I probably sold a couple hundred of them and I was heading home with a small fortune I earned in commissions and tips inside my pocket. It truly was an unforgettable day for all who attended that historic first Blue Jays game and it was about to become an even more unforgettable day for myself. 

As I headed home my only focus was getting a seat on the bus. I was also looking forward to watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins preliminary round playoff matchup that night on television. If everything went to plan it would be well over an hour before I got home just before the puck drop.

The large wide concrete walkway was very wet from all of the melting snow as I walked along and up the west side of the stadium. Surprisingly, there was no one else around and I could hear all the cheering fans still inside the ballpark. I had my hands in my pocket and my pace was very quick. I noticed there was an older couple just ahead who also looked like they were getting a jump on the crowds and heading home early. However, they were walking at a much slower pace than me.

Suddenly out of nowhere a guy wearing sunglasses came up from behind me and darted right past me. He startled me and he obviously was in a big hurry as he quickly approached the older couple from behind. They were now side by side with one of the concrete planters that supported the massive stadium light posts. There were many of the large concrete planters along the stadium walkway and most served as bases for the huge light banks. Many had small trees and hedges growing from within them also. 

There was not much room as he attempted to run past the couple by squeezing between them and the concrete planter. He slipped on the wet walkway and he crashed headfirst into the planter. His sunglasses went flying through the air and landed at least twenty feet away from where he fell. It all happened right in front of me and it all happened so fast. The older couple had no idea what had happened and they were oblivious that someone had just slipped and fallen behind them. 

They just kept on walking. 

Within seconds I was now looking down at this poor guy. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving. He had blood streaming from his ear and nose forming a small puddle around his head. It did not take a genius to realize his neck was broken just by the way it was now positioned in relation to his shoulders.

It was a sickening sight and still makes me squeamish when I think about it decades later. 

So there I was standing outside a stadium while the game was still being played in front of a sellout crowd and I have this dead guy right at my feet with nobody around. 

What to do? 

The older couple had now disappeared onto the street and they would not have been of any help anyways. I quickly ran maybe a hundred feet or so to an opening between the covered grandstand bleacher seats and the open third base side of the stadium. There were a couple mounted police on duty for crowd control just watching the game from over the left field fence on horses. I shouted out to get their attention and let them know what had just happened. 

They immediately opened the gate and followed me to the lifeless body where it was confirmed that he was indeed dead. A small group was now gathering and the cops began clearing the area around the body. After explaining to the cops what had happened, I then continued on my way home. I was still eager to beat the crowds and hopefully get a seat on the bus. I now began to walk at a much quicker pace than before.

I did indeed get a seat on the bus and I remember being a bit shaken on the ride home thinking about what I had just witnessed. I can only assume the guy who died had also attended the game. Afterall, there was absolutely no other reason for anyone to be there on the shores of Lake Ontario that day. I wondered why he was in such a hurry. 

Maybe he was running to meet someone. 

Maybe he was running to catch an early bus to get a seat. 

Maybe he was running to get home so he could watch the Leaf game. 

Who knows? 

The first ever Toronto Blue Jays game was a historic event. The Jays won and it was my first ever day of work at my first ever job. It should have been a happy day, but if there is one thing that can put a damper on a happy day, it is seeing a person die.

After witnessing a second person die in just six years, I already knew just how fragile life can be. You just never know when your time is up. My mother always said to live every day as if it was your last day.

Hard to do, but so true. 

Sadly because of a tragic accident there was one fan whose first Blue Jays game would also be his last Blue Jays game. 

I did get home in time to watch the game and the Leafs lost 6-4 to the Penguins. 

Life goes on.