Tulowitzki looks right at home at the Rogers Centre
TORONTO – After a decade of purple, suddenly all was blue. He was accustomed to batting third, but for the first time in his career, he was leading off. The country and the city were foreign.
Troy Tulowitzki knows he will need some time to find his bearings.
“I’m still shocked,” he said. “When I walk into a clubhouse and it’s not purple, it’s different for me.”
But at 6:44 p.m., as the newest Blue Jay trotted onto the Rogers Centre turf to loosen up, the fans behind the third-base dugout greeted him with applause. Without breaking stride, he replied with a little wave.
At 7:02, the crowd roared when his name was announced. Seven minutes later, the first Phillies batter hit a ground ball to him and he assisted on the first out. At 7:13, when he walked to the batter’s box, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. After another little wave, the applause continued, so he stepped out and touched the brim of his helmet.
When he struck out, everybody went “awww,” and cheered him again.
Then in the third, with a runner aboard, he drilled a Jerome Williams pitch into the second deck in left field, and the fans were on their feet again. He rounded third, gave coach Luis Rivera a low five, and sprinted home like he was 20 again instead of 30.
Troy Tulowitzki was starting to feel at home in his new home office.
As trade rumours swirled around him for the past two years, Colorado ownership had always told Tulowitzki he would be the first to know if trade talks became serious. Instead, he found out when word came down Monday night to take him out of a game at Wrigley Field.
That hurt. He was sitting, stunned, in the manager’s office, barely able to speak, when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called.
“I think he probably thought I was upset because I was in shock, but I think I was more upset on the Rockies’ end,” Tulowitzki said. “I think now that I’m here in Toronto, it’s a new chapter in my career. I’m excited about it.