Blue Jays will unveil statue of franchise icon Joe Carter in July

TORONTO -- Finally, the greatest moment in Blue Jays history will be immortalized with a statue outside Rogers Centre.

Joe Carter’s Game 6 walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series still stands as one of the finest moments this game has ever seen, giving the Blue Jays back-to-back championships as Tom Cheek’s famous call rang out: “Touch ‘em all, Joe, you’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!”

This July 18, the Blue Jays will unveil a statue of Carter between Gates 5 and 6, commemorating those back-to-back titles. This is the Blue Jays’ 50th anniversary season, which will bring plenty of opportunities to look back at this team’s rich history, but this statue is a true highlight. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from fans, who for years have wanted to see more of this organization’s history around the ballpark. What better way to begin?

It’s been fascinating to watch Carter carry that moment with him, even three-plus decades later. At an endless stream of golf tournaments, alumni events and celebrity dinners, he’s talked about the home run like it just happened the night before. It’s his 10,000th time talking about the home run, but for everyone who approaches Carter, it’s their first. He’s always loved to greet their first question about the home run with, “Which one?” and a big laugh.

In the video released by the Blue Jays on Monday, president and CEO Mark Shapiro and president emeritus Paul Beeston surprised Carter in a board room at Rogers Centre with what he was told would be a “partnership meeting.” Once Carter understood what was happening, though, he lit up. Beeston began to tell the story, that on Oct. 23, 1993 … but then Carter cut in.

“11:39 p.m.,” he said, grinning. He knows -- and loves -- every detail.

Former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston has always joked that, when his team previously played against Carter, they’d hide behind the dugout railing because Carter loved to yank balls foul. To this day, Carter calls keeping that ball fair down the line, just inside the left-field foul pole, the biggest accomplishment of his life.

“When I was 6 or 7 years old, I started playing baseball and that’s what you do in the backyard,” Carter said at an alumni event. “Bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, Game 7 of the World Series. If you’re a basketball player, it’s 3, 2, 1 for the last shot to win a world championship. You live those dreams. Dreams come true, because I’d thought about that since I was 7 years old. It happened. That’s something you can’t go back and do over again.”

Carter has this unique ability to understand not just what the home run meant to him and his teammates, but what it meant to Blue Jays fans. That’s what this statue is all about, and while this will be a headliner of the 2026 season, the 50th anniversary will bring back so many more of these memories from the 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s.

“The Blue Jays have a rich and storied history in the fabric of Canadian sport, and the back-to-back World Series championships will forever have a special place in the hearts and minds of sports fans across the country,” said Shapiro. “As we embark on our 50th season, this statue is emblematic of baseball greatness in Canada and will be shared with fans for generations to come.”

This statue will immediately become a fan destination when it’s unveiled on July 18. That day, there will also be a pregame ceremony to honor both World Series teams. The first 15,000 fans on July 18 will receive a set of ’92 and ’93 World Series replica rings. Plus, on Monday, Aug. 10, there will be a back-to-back replica statue giveaway for the first 15,000 fans.

The existing statue of Ted Rogers, which currently stands between Gates 5 and 6, will be moved to a corporate office to make way for this new project.

“We wanted to make space to honour Joe and the championship teams who brought so much joy and pride to fans in every corner of Canada,” RCI spokesman Zac Carreiro said in a statement. “We look forward to recognizing and celebrating more moments and players over time.”

Carter’s emotion in the video is so clear, with Beeston joking -- and he’s right -- that Carter is rarely at a loss for words.

As he tried to find the right words for what this will mean to him, Carter’s voice trailed off as he looked past Beeston and Shapiro, out the window of their offices, which overlooks the area where his status will soon stand.

“Earned,” Beeston said, lending Carter a word. “It’s earned.”