Doug Ault
A journeyman first baseman who etched his name into baseball lore with two historic swings on a cold opening day in Toronto.
1950–2004 (age 54)·American baseball player·Birthday: March 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Doug Ault’s major league career was brief and statistically modest, but his legacy is forever tied to a single, glorious afternoon. After bouncing from the Texas Rangers' system, he was selected by the expansion Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 draft, becoming part of a brand-new franchise. On April 7, 1977, in a snow-flecked Exhibition Stadium, Ault stepped into history. He hit two home runs in the team’s inaugural game, driving in four runs and delivering a win. For a fledgling team and a nation embracing baseball, he was an instant hero. The rest of his playing career failed to match that explosive start, and he struggled with injuries before retiring. He later worked as a minor league coach and manager. Ault’s life after baseball was marked by personal struggles, ending in tragedy. Yet, in the memory of Blue Jays fans, he remains forever the smiling slugger who launched the first chapter of a team’s story.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Doug was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Doug Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Doug's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2004Died at 54
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Key Achievements
- Hit the first two home runs in Toronto Blue Jays history in the franchise's first-ever MLB game on April 7, 1977.
- Drove in four of the team's nine runs in that historic inaugural victory over the Chicago White Sox.
- Played three seasons for the Blue Jays, appearing in 203 games as a first baseman and designated hitter.
Did You Know?
His two-homer game was played in freezing conditions with snow on the field at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium.
He was a minor league batting champion, winning the title in the Texas League in 1976 before joining the Blue Jays.
After his playing career, he managed in the Blue Jays' minor league system, including for the Single-A St. Catharines Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays honored him with a moment of silence and a video tribute following his death.
“Opening Day in Toronto, two home runs—that memory is mine forever.”
