Blue Jays Announce Memorial Patch for Tony Fernandez

The Toronto Blue Jays this morning announced they would be wearing a commemorative patch in memory of former Blue Jay Tony Fernandez on their jersey sleeve for the entirety of their 2020 regular season.

Fernandez, a member of the Blue Jays “Level of Excellence” and five-time All-Star appeared in nearly 1500 games with the team over four different stints between 1979 and 2001. Fernandez died earlier this year at the age of 57.

“There are few players in the game who can impact a team and a fan base the way Tony did in Toronto,” Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a release from the team. “Beyond his impressive career numbers, achievements, and accolades, Tony resonated with baseball fans because of how he played the game and conducted himself as a teammate. To wear a patch in his memory is to honour his exceptional life on behalf of Blue Jays fans across the country.”

The patch in honour of Tony features his number 1 in the Blue Jays original style font inside a black circle trimmed in four different black and white outlines (perhaps a nod to his four stints with the team? if so, nice touch).

This will be the sixth time the Blue Jays have worn a memorial patch in the team’s 44-season history, most recently the club wore a #32 patch in memory of Hall of Fame pitcher Roy Halladay throughout the 2018 season.

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