Joe Carter’s place in Toronto Blue Jays history has been known for decades. His walk-off grand slam in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series and his romp around the bases is burned in the memory of generations of Blue Jays fans.

Toronto’s World Series run in 2025 was a reminder of the greatness Carter brought to the franchise as a key member of its two World Series champions. It may have been a surprise to some Blue Jays fans that the franchise is planning to unveil a statue in Carter’s honor in 2026. The team made the announcement earlier this week.

But it wasn’t a surprise to Carter. He’s known since last summer and the Blue Jays captured the moment the 65-year-old learned of the honor.

Joe Carter’s Reaction to His Statue

The Blue Jays posted the video to their YouTube account after the announcement. Toronto lured Carter to its team offices on June 19 under the guise of a business meeting. He was met by president of baseball operations Mark Shapiro. It was Shapiro who broke the news.

“It’s going to involve you doing some modeling,” Shapiro said, which drew a laugh from Carter, who was already getting the sense that the statue would be of him.

“It’s an honor,” Carter said, fighting back tears. “You know how much I love you guys and the Blue Jays and this city. That’s why I come back and do all of this stuff. It’s home for me. It really is. To have an honor like that bestowed, that is …” said Carter, who couldn’t finish the sentence. “I’m at a loss for words and I’m usually at a loss for words.”

The Blue Jays will unveil the statue on July 18.

Carter joined the Blue Jays in his age 31 season after a year with the Chicago Cubs, six years with Cleveland and a year with the San Diego Padres. At the time he was productive but had never been an All-Star. That changed when he put on a Blue Jays jersey in 1991.

For the next seven seasons he fueled Toronto’s success on the field. He slashed .257/.308/.473 with 203 home runs and 736 RBI. He was named an All-Star four straight seasons, won two AL Silver Sluggers and finished in the Top 12 in AL MVP voting four straight years, including a third-place finish in 1993. He was also named an All-Star in 1996.

In 16 seasons, he slashed .259/.306/.464 with 396 home runs and 1,445 RBI. While he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma City, Okla., native is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and a member of the Toronto Blue Jays Level of Excellence.

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