TORONTO – The reporters filed into Charlie Montoyo's office like they do every day, but the Toronto Blue Jays' manager had a special greeting for all of us at the start of his daily pregame briefing Friday afternoon.
"Happy Canada Day from a Puerto Rican," a smiling Montoyo said as he sat behind his desk, tapping inside his infielder's glove as he spoke.
Among the many things the pandemic robbed from the Blue Jays, not being in their home park on Canada Day since 2019 cut to the core of fans here. A year ago Friday, the Blue Jays "celebrated" Canada Day in Buffalo at Sahlen Field. Sure, they wore their red jerseys and it was a 3:07 start for the Sportsnet television audience back home.
But July 1, 2021 was a routine Thursday afternoon workday in Buffalo. There were about 5,300 fans in the house at the corner of Washington and Swan to see the Jays drop a desultory 7-2 affair to the Seattle Mariners. It was not remotely like the whooping-it-up, red-clad crowd of 44,445 that was in Rogers Centre on Friday for the 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
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"That it wasn't Canada Day in Toronto," he said flatly.Â
You looked around that afternoon and got the clear sense that the Jays' shelf life in Buffalo was expiring. There was a sense of missing out from the players and coaches. You felt for the Jays' off-field staff, who put in unlimited hours to stage the games while living out of hotels in Buffalo, but wore the strain and sadness of that day on their faces.
The pull of home was getting strong. Just over two weeks later, the Jays bade Buffalo farewell.
"From the beginning, we felt that, honestly. And not just that day. But Canada Day for sure, it didn't feel like Canada Day," Montoyo said. "We were away from Toronto. We were wearing red (jerseys) in Buffalo."
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After his team battered former Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber for five doubles in a five-run third on Friday, Montoyo was all smiles.
"It's one of those days that reminds you how great it is to play for Canada, play for a country," Montoyo said. "It's awesome."
"It was special ... a little bit emotional," starter Jose Berrios, who threw five innings, said of his first Canada Day. "A lot of Canadians enjoy and want to be in the ballpark on a day like today."
Toronto closer Jordan Romano, a native of suburban Markham, was smiling as we chatted pregame on Friday and he said he felt the buzz through downtown as he made his way to the ballpark. Sure enough, three hours before the first pitch, fans were lined up from the gates all the way down Bremner Boulevard in one direction and back to Front Street in another.
It was George Springer Jersey Day, and the red No. 4 shirts filled all five levels of the ballpark once the people made their way inside.
"You could tell coming to the stadium there's a lot of activity out there," Romano said. "People want to watch a ballgame and enjoy it with the family. It's a special day. When we were in Buffalo, it just didn't feel right spending Canada Day not here. You really appreciate being back."
There was red and white bunting on all three packed levels of the center field Flight Deck hangout area. The national anthems were heartfelt and a massive Canadian flag spread across the outfield for the singing of "O, Canada".
It’s an emotional O, Canada on the first Canada Day in the Rogers Centre since 2019 #Bluejays pic.twitter.com/NiQXUc890o
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) July 1, 2022
Toronto-born and Montreal-bred former beloved Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin was on hand to throw the ceremonial first pitch to Gabriel Moreno, the mega catching prospect just up from the Bisons who wears Martin's No. 55. And Martin was surprised with video tributes celebrating his retirement, one narrated by former teammate Jose Bautista, and another featuring messages from former Blue Jays and ex-manager John Gibbons.
Martin was also surprised with a framed jersey made of threads from the Jays and the Canadian national team, the announcement that the MVP award of the junior national team will be named in his honor and that the Jays will run an annual baseball clinic in his name in Quebec.
Until all that, Martin's biggest Canada Day memory might have come on July 1, 2016, when he was ejected after striking out to end the 13th inning of a 2-1, 19-inning loss to Cleveland that stretched more than six hours.
What stands out? "Probably me yelling at the umpire because he was terrible and the crowd had my back," Martin said while chatting with the media in the Jays' dugout prior to the game Friday. "That was a crazy game, but it was a great experience."
Of Canada Day, Martin said the energy of Toronto fans is ratcheted up several levels.
"The crowd gets hyped for Canada Day," Martin said. "It's special because you get the red jerseys. You feel like you're in the playoffs, even though it's not the playoffs. But you have that sense of energy that you don't get in a regular season game."
The Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays line up on the baselines as a massive Canadian flag is displayed in the outfield prior to Friday's Canada Day game in Toronto's Rogers Centre.
The hype was on display during the third inning Friday. Bo Bichette crushed a two-run double to right – landing a foot shy on the fence for an opposite-field grand slam – and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took the next pitch down the line in left for a two-run double. Alejandro Kirk followed with another RBI double as the Jays' five two-baggers were one shy of the franchise mark for an inning.
The roof was opened after the national anthem, and the partly sunny skies and summer breeze gently came in off Lake Ontario. The building was buzzing. Some fans even did an impromptu version of "O, Canada" that wafted from the outfield during the ninth inning.
These were the moments the Blue Jays are thankful for after two years in Buffalo, one without fans and one where the fans were too often rooting for the Yankees and Red Sox.
"I think about it every time the fans are loud and there's a lot of emotion in here," Montoyo said. "I think about it every time that happens. That series against Boston (this week) playing it here and how loud it was, I think about it."
"It's really nice having stability again as a franchise," Romano said. "Opening Day this year was a really emotional moment and this will be too. This team means so much to the city and fans. Being back performing for them is a great feeling."
