Cito Gaston is a living legend in Toronto because, as manager of the Blue Jays, he guided them to two World Series titles in 1992 and ‘93.
The 2025 Blue Jays are trying to add another one to the trophy case as they face the Dodgers in the World Series starting Friday night. MLBbro.com caught up with Gaston who answered a wide range of topics from the current Blue Jays to the two World Series titles he won with Toronto.
MLBbro.com: The Blue Jays are in the World Series for the first time since 1993, when you guided them to the title. Tell me how you feel about them being in the Fall Classic.
Cito Gaston: They have played great all year. I spent four months in Toronto this summer. I watched them play a lot. They never gave up. They kept battling throughout the playoffs. I think the right team is in the World Series. They are going to have their hands full with the Dodgers. Anything can happen.
MLBbro.com: What do you like about the Blue Jays?
Gaston: From the top to the bottom of the lineup, the entire team contributed all the time no matter who was playing. They picked each other up. George Springer had a great year and Junior [Vladimir Guerrero Jr.] had an awesome year, too. But so did a lot of guys. Addison Barger hit big homers. They are different from other teams because they get base hits – singles, doubles and triples. They just don’t live on the home run. But if you put a couple of guys on, they are going to bang you for a home run.
The Yankees: They are home runs or nothing. [The Mariners] are home runs or nothing. You don’t see a lot of base hits any more. It’s just home runs. I think the team that could put some guys on base all the time, whether it’s a base hit or double, they are going to put a lot of pressure on the pitchers. That’s the team the Blue Jays have. They keep coming at you.
MLBbro.com: You mention Vladdy. What do you like about him?
Gaston: I love the way the kid plays. He is always having a good time. Trust me, it’s not easy playing baseball.
MLBbro.com: This the first time that Vladdy has been on center stage. What do you like about his game?
Gaston: I’ve seen him play most of this summer. I saw him last year and the year before. He is better. He started at third base and then they moved him over to first base. He has come to love first base. He has a good time playing first base. He has a smile on his face all the time. He transfers great double plays, catches line drives. He is right in there. He is in the game all the time. He is just having a great time.
MLBbro.com: You also mentioned Springer. He had a bad year last year. Why do you think he turned it around this season?
Gaston: I heard him say he moved his hands up and forward a little bit. What breeds confidence? Success. You just keep going. When opposing pitchers miss their location, Springer let’s them know it. His last at-bat in the American League Championship Series, Springer let [Mariners reliever] Eduard Bazardo know he threw the pitch in the wrong spot, I‘ll tell you that.
MLBbro.com: What do you think of John Schneider as a manager?
Gaston: John has done a great job. He had Vladdy and Bo Bichette in the Minor Leagues. John has done whatever they have asked him to do and he has done more than that. I think the players love playing for him. He is a player’s manager and he has done an outstanding job.
MLBbro.com: How do you think the Blue Jays will perform against the Dodgers?
Gaston: They are going to do well. It’s not going to be easy. They will have a battle. The Dodgers pitching staff is back. I can remember when the Blue Jays were playing the Dodgers during the sumer. I was watching the game and one of the announcers said that 17 guys were on the Injured List and seven of them were starting pitchers. I never heard that before. Those starting pitchers are back and they are on their game. These guys can pitch. It’s a veteran team the Blue Jays are playing against. The Dodgers know how to hit when they need to hit. It’s not going to be easy, but it should be a lot of fun.
MLBbro.com: What made the Blue Jays teams of 1992-93 so special?
Gaston: I had guys that wanted to win. The second time around, Paul Molitor was on that ‘93 team and, in 1982, he lost to the Cardinals in the World Series. The ‘93 team was pulling for him to make the World Series. Of course, he did his job, too, by finishing second in the American League in hitting behind John Olerud.
Most people don’t know this, but we changed 14 guys from ‘92 to ‘93 and we still came back and went all the way. We got the 14 guys that wanted to win. We didn’t have the same quality team in ‘93. The first championship team was a little bit better, but the core of the team was still intact. We had to play harder. We had some losing streaks that we didn’t have in ‘92. But when you switch 14 guys, it’s going to be tough to come back and do it, but we did it.
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MLBbro.com: How good is it for you, Joe Carter and Dave Stewart to be back in the news?
Gaston: It’s great. Joe has always been one of my favorite guys. I play in his golf tournament every year. I saw him in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago. I still see a lot of the guys. Devon White works for the organization. I see Pat Borders here and there. The Blue Jays have a golf tournament and get to see a lot of the players.
MLBbro.com: What was your favorite World Series highlight?
Gaston: The first one was when Dave Winfield had the game-winning hit down the third-base line in Game 6 against the Braves in ‘92. Then you have to go with Carter’s game-winning home run to win the whole thing the following year.
