Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Pat Hentgen turns 58 today, while former Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal celebrates his 32nd birthday.
Pat Hentgen’s Historic Blue Jays Career
Hentgen became the first pitcher in franchise history to win the Cy Young Award when he received the honor in 1996, officially accepting the award on his birthday. During that season, he compiled a 20-10 record alongside a 3.22 ERA while logging 265.2 innings pitched. Over his career, Hentgen earned four All-Star selections and secured two World Series rings with Toronto in 1992 and 1993. In the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he recorded a win and was scheduled to start Game 7 before Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in Game 6 secured the championship.
Across 10 seasons with Toronto, Hentgen posted a 107-85 record and a 4.28 ERA in 270 appearances, including 238 starts. He ranks fourth in franchise history among pitchers in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 26.7, and holds fifth place in total wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and games started.
After the 1999 season, Toronto traded Hentgen and Paul Spoljaric to the St. Louis Cardinals for Alberto Castillo, Matt DeWitt, and Lance Painter. Following one season in St. Louis, Hentgen signed with the Baltimore Orioles for three years before returning to Toronto for his final season prior to retirement. He concluded his career with a 131-112 record, a 4.32 ERA, and 33.0 bWAR in 344 games, including 306 starts.
Following his playing career, Hentgen stayed connected with the organization, serving as Toronto’s bullpen coach in 2011 before stepping away for family reasons. He returned to the same coaching role in 2013 and has also served as a television broadcast analyst for the team.
Santiago Espinal’s Tenure in Toronto
Espinal played four seasons with the Blue Jays, highlighting his stint with a .311/.376/.405 batting line in 2021. He was selected to the All-Star team in 2022 after batting .298/.350/.451 through mid-June, though his offensive numbers dropped to .244/.301/.300 over the remainder of that season.
Following a difficult 2023 campaign, Toronto traded Espinal prior to the 2024 season amid a surplus of middle infielders. Espinal subsequently joined the Cincinnati Reds, where he hit .246/.295/.356 during the 2024 season.
