Tony Fernández
June 30, 1962 — February 16, 2020 — San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Tony Fernández was a five-time MLB All-Star shortstop who became the greatest player in Toronto Blue Jays history, winning four Gold Glove Awards and delivering the go-ahead RBI in the 1993 World Series before a remarkable career that took him to nine different major league teams over 17 seasons.
San Pedro de Macorís and the Rise
Born on June 30, 1962, in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic — the city that has produced more Major League Baseball players per capita than almost anywhere on earth — Fernández signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in 1979. He made his major league debut at age 20 in 1983, and by 1985 had established himself as the Blue Jays' starting shortstop. His balletic fielding style — fluid, almost effortless, with enormous range and remarkably soft hands — drew comparisons to Ozzie Smith as one of the finest defensive shortstops of his era. He won the Gold Glove four consecutive years from 1986 to 1989.
The 1993 World Series and Legacy
After spending time with San Diego, the Mets, and Cincinnati, Fernández returned to Toronto in 1993 for what would be the championship season. In Game 4 of the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the 7th inning to put the Blue Jays ahead in a game they would win. Toronto then won the Series in six games on Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run. Fernández later played for the Yankees, Cleveland (appearing in the 1997 World Series), Anaheim, and again for the Mets and Blue Jays. He retired in 2001 with a .288 career batting average, 2,276 hits, and 92 home runs across 17 major league seasons. He was a five-time All-Star selection.
Did You Know?
San Pedro de Macorís, the Dominican city where Tony Fernández was born, is sometimes called "the cradle of shortstops" — a place that has produced a remarkable concentration of elite major league shortstops including Fernández, Julio Franco, Sammy Sosa, Robinson Canó, Alfonso Soriano, and many others. The city's outsized contribution to baseball is one of the most extraordinary geographic phenomena in the history of any sport.
Later Life and Death
After retiring, Fernández remained involved in baseball through various coaching and mentorship roles. He suffered from a kidney condition in his later years and died on February 16, 2020, in a hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, at age 57, following complications from the illness. The Blue Jays retired his number 1 in a ceremony at Rogers Centre in 2021. He is remembered in Toronto as not just the greatest shortstop in franchise history, but as one of the most beloved players the city ever saw — a fluid, graceful player who made the hardest plays look effortless.