Small world for Blue Jays’ ex-Little Leaguers
Inside the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse at Dunedin Stadium, the stalls of Devon Travis and Randal Grichuk are across from each other.
“That’s why Moose did it,” Grichuk said. “Let the Little League boys stay close.”
Moose is clubhouse assistant manager Mustafa Hassan. When asked if having Grichuk and Travis sit across from each other was part of some grand plan, Hassan shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sure.”
There is a definite link between new outfielder Grichuk and Travis, who has played second base for the Jays since 2015.
They both played in the 2003 Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Grichuk representing Richmond, Texas, and Travis Boynton Beach, Fla.
Grichuk played in two Little League World Series in 2003 and ’04. Travis’s Boynton Beach team made it to the final in ’03, losing to Japan 10-1 in the championship game.
“I don’t remember a lot about the tournament,” Travis said Sunday. “I remember not even noticing it was on TV. And I remember getting killed by Japan. We got dominated. That’s what I remember: getting dog-stomped.”
Travis said he also remembers getting thrown out at second in the final game trying to stretch a single into a double.
“They were good, man,” Travis said of the Tokyo team.
Even though he was in the National League the last four years with the St. Louis Cardinals, Grichuk knows what Travis can do and said he knew about their common background before coming to Toronto.
“I remember when I got called up to the big leagues and (Michael) Conforto got called up, they were all talking about that Conforto played in 2004 (for Redmond, Wash.), Travis played, (Jurickson) Profar in 2003 (for Curacao),” he said.
“It’s pretty cool.”