Votto marks Toronto return
TORONTO Monday’s opener of the Jays’ three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds will be a special night for fans of Canadian baseball.
Leading the Reds into town will be Etobicoke native Joey Votto, the Richview Collegiate grad who has gone on to become one of the most accomplished Canadian-born major-leaguers. and
While in town, Votto will receive the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award for the sixth time in his career. Votto is one of only two to win the award more than three times, joining nine time winner, Larry Walker.
Named after the Canadian baseball hall of famer, the O’Neill award is given to a Canadian player “judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to the highest ideals of the game of baseball.”
Votto will catch a ceremonial first pitch from his senior team baseball coach, Steve (Whitey) Breitner, who is being honoured by the Jays for his dedication to the game locally.
It’s a rare visit to Toronto for the Reds, whose most recent visit here was back in 2009. The two teams have only met in five series all-time and previously in 2014 at Cincy’s Great American Ball Park.
After a couple of days of teasing, the Rogers Centre roof was finally open for a game this season, a welcome sight for a Jays team that had spent too much time indoors over the first two months.
It’s the second-latest roof opening in Jays history. In the 2001 season, players and fans didn’t feel the fresh air until June 6.
And if the Jays were feeling a little like shut-ins prior to Sunday, it was for good reason. Including road trips to Tampa (twice) and Milwaukee, the Jays haven’t seen much sky so far. In fact, before Sunday’s game, 32 of the 49 Jays games had been indoors under a roof.
WEST AND COUNTRY
Not only did John Gibbons trek to the iconic Horseshoe Tavern to watch his daughter’s band (Southtown) play a gig there on Saturday night, so too did umpire Joe West, the crew chief for this series.
West is a big country music fan and, according to Gibbons, actually sings.
Jordan Gibbons and her band put on an entertaining show prior to Sunday’s game vs. the Texas Rangers, with her father watching the first couple of sets from the Jays dugout.
Meanwhile, during Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Jays, Texas starter Yu Darvish complained afterwards that West was not giving him the borderline calls with his fastball so he was forced to go his slider, the pitch he hung when Jose Bautista took him deep for a three-run homer in the fifth.
QUICK HITS
Jays starter Francisco Liriano began his rehab assignment Sunday night getting the start at Triple A Buffalo against Charlotte. … The Jays were fortunate in one aspect in their series with the Rangers — they didn’t have to face all-star third baseman Adrian Beltre, who has missed the club’s last 15 games. Texas has struggled without Beltre in the lineup, but he’s expected back this week. … Jays outfield prospect Anthony Alford will undergo surgery and is likely to miss at least four to six weeks. The Jays have announced that Alford will meet with hand specialist Dr. Donald Sheridan next week and that he’s likely to have surgery. He suffered a left hamate injury last week in Milwaukee . ... With Sunday’s loss, the Jays home record is 12-12 and 2327 overall.