Stroman’s opening statement
Strong showing just hours after earning the nod to start season
There are times when Marcus Stroman is oh-so-charming.
He can delight with his glee for baseball, his rapid-fire talking cadence, his raw desire to be good.
And if he still occasionally gusts to megalomania, so what? Preening selfconfidence is a virtue in sports, certainly in pitchers.
Stroman was obviously over the moon after being informed by manager Charlie Montoyo on Wednesday morning that he will be the Blue Jays’ opening-day pitcher, come March 28, at the Rogers Centre. Then the 27-yearold went out and further cemented his bona fides, facing just one batter over the minimum through three innings and allowing two hits while striking out six in 41⁄ frames of work on the 3 mound as Toronto fell 6-4 to the Orioles.
“It’s an honour,” said Stroman of the opening gig, second time in his career he’s earned the accolade, 10th in franchise history to draw multiple OD assignments and first to do so since R.A. Dickey in 2013-14. “It’s something you always strive for, something I pride myself on.”
Three years ago, it transpired for Stroman on the road, in Tampa. This will be different.
“Just excited to feel that electricity, that energy of Toronto, of Canada, when I get out there on the mound.”
He does have the CN Tower tattooed on his chest, you know. That’s for life.
“I thrive off energy and emotion so I’m excited. I can’t wait to be out there.”
Maybe a bit over the top, as is his nature, often expressed in social media platitudes. But there’s no reason to doubt his sincerity on this matter.
“At the end of the day, I can’t express how much I love Canada, how much I love toeing the rubber, putting the Blue Jays uniform on. It gives me a sense of passion. The energy that the fans are showing me from coast to coast on a daily basis is unbelievable. My fans reach out to me daily and it’s awesome. I’m going out there to put all of my emotion, all of my passion, all of my yelling … I’m going to do that for them because I enjoy it and that kind of puts me in my moment, what makes me feel elite out there.”
Bear with his intrepid aria. He’s earned it, with so much toil put in over the winter, following an ego-deflating season of injuries and frustration, with an ERA that ballooned to 5.54, 4-9 in 19 starts, limited to 1021⁄ in3 nings after surpassing 200 in each of the previous two years.
“Two a day in my hyperbaric chamber.” He’s got one of those at his Tampa-area monster home. “Yoga, stretching, working on my mobility, soft tissue. I’m relentless when it comes to my body.
“I’m five-foot-seven so I have to do everything in my power to be perfect when I’m out there. To be able to throw 200 innings, to be able to go deep into games, I can’t afford to be weak in some areas that other guys are. I need to be at 100 and I’m at that point.”
It wasn’t a tough decision after all for Montoyo, in consultation with general manager Ross Atkins and pitching coach Pete Walker. Was always going to be either Stroman or Aaron Sanchez, both looking fit as a fiddle in Florida, both looking to rebound from a miserable 2018, both even plagued by blisters. But Stroman was further ahead on the crank-up timeline, already getting an extra start in — he’ll have two more in the Grapefruit League — while the Jays took a more cautious approach with Sanchez, who underwent finger surgery last September.
“He’s ahead of schedule right now,” said Montoyo of Stroman. “And he’s pitching well. So he got the nod.”
But Montoyo delivered the news to Sanchez also, early Wednesday morning, just to make sure there were no wounded feelings. “He’s fine.”