‘So many incredible memories’ for Grilli as a Blue Jay

STRUGGLED IN 2017

this season. Ryan Tepera and Joe Smith were more effective bridging the gap to Osuna and Grilli essentially became a pitcher without a role.

When he did make highleverage appearances in 2017, the results were often shaky.

The final straw was likely a blown save last Friday in Kansas City, when Grilli gave up a two-run walkoff double to the lone batter he faced.

Grilli was 2-4 with a 6.97 earned-run average in 26 appearances this season. Last season, he had a 6-4 mark with the Blue Jays and a 3.64 ERA.

Opposing players were hitting at a .279 clip off him this season, well up from a .206 average in 2016. Grilli allowed eight homers over 42 innings in Toronto last year but gave up nine dingers in just 20 2/3 frames this year.

Gibbons said Grilli told him he understood the team’s decision.

“He said it wasn’t his first time,” Gibbons said. “But Grilli has done a lot for us. He’s one of the good guys and that always makes it doubly tough. But he plans to keep going. Maybe somebody will grab him.

“We’ll see what happens. But those kind (of moves) are always tough. Extra tough.”

Grilli wasn’t available for comment Tuesday but he did weigh in on Twitter.

“It’s only been about a year but there were so many incredible memories made in and with #Toronto,” he said in a tweet capped with a blue heart emoji.

A fan favourite, Grilli was a firebrand on the mound.

He entered home games Blue Jays manager John Gibbons takes the ball from relief pitcher Jason Grilli after Grilli allowed a three-run home run to New York Yankees in a game in May. with the guitar-loaded chunk of Pearl Jam’s Whipping blasting throughout Rogers Centre and that energy would carry over into his appearances.

Grilli revelled in the charged atmosphere and emphatic fist pumps were the norm when he got the job done.

The Blue Jays were the ninth big-league team for the native of Royal Oak, Mich., who made his bigleague debut with the Florida Marlins in 2000.

Grilli also had a longstanding connection to Toronto.

His father, Steve, played for the Blue Jays’ former triple-A affiliate in Syracuse and made one appearance for Toronto in 1979. They would make road trips from New York state to the Ontario capital in the early 1990s to watch the Blue Jays in their World Series glory days.

In addition to the Grilli move, the Blue Jays optioned outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. to triple-A Buffalo, recalled right-hander Chris Smith and reinstated outfielder Ezequiel Carrera from the disabled list. the drivers would take their families to Daytona Beach after the race. He’s always been nostalgic for the simpler days in NASCAR, when he was just a little boy in awe of his father and his racing heroes.

Daytona, with all its grit and biker bars, gentleman’s clubs and chain restaurants, is still paradise to Earnhardt.

With his countdown to retirement underway, Earnhardt himself seems to be recognizing the end is near. And it sounds very much like he has mixed emotions.

Earnhardt was asked last weekend about what should be his final race at Daytona, and his answer was a very firm statement that he isn’t going anywhere.

“I am just retiring from full-time racing. I am going to run some Xfinity races next year. I don’t know that I won’t ever run the Daytona 500 again,” he said. “I want to continue to be part of the sport. I don’t know how it’s going to affect me, really. It’s hard for me to put that into words because I don’t know what that is going to feel like.”

Earnhardt, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, owns an Xfinity Series team. There also seems to be interest in him for a broadcasting career, with Sam Flood, executive producer for NBC’s NASCAR telecasts, telling The Associated Press there’s room on broadcasts for Earnhardt.

Ambassador Dale. It could very well work.