Major League Baseball awarded the City of Toronto an American League franchise on March 26, 1976 and were officially named the “Blue Jays” on August 12, after a contest that included more than 30,000 entries. With great proximity to the airport and other MLB clubs, the small town of Dunedin, FL was chosen at the Blue Jays’ Spring Training home, and the community embraced the team with open arms. The Blue Jays played their first game at Dunedin’s Grant Field on March 11, 1977, beating the New York Mets by a score of 3-1.