TORONTO | The rituals on the bench, Bo Bichette’s long hair or Lourdes Gurriel’s bleached locks, Vladimir Guerrero’s shirt pulled out of his pants as soon as victory is in his pocket. In traditional baseball circles, the Toronto Blue Jays stand out. And it is wanted.
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“Baseball is pressure, it’s stress,” Guerrero Jr. points out, through the team’s interpreter, Hector Lebron. We want it to be the fun. »
Besides, adds the son of the former Expos sensation, even newcomers who do not have this personality at the base quickly buy into the mentality of the team.
The scene broadcast by the Sportsnet network early in the season had made people laugh. Matt Chapman, acquired from the Oakland Athletics in the offseason, was unaware he had to put on a jacket after hitting a home run.
And even less that he had to pose for the cameras once he had the famous jacket on his back.
“But we explained to him, and then he started doing it! rejoices “Vladdy”.
The idea of the interpreter
It was not Guerrero who had the idea for this famous jacket. Rather, it was Lebron who offered her to number 27 and George Springer, in the middle of last summer.
The concept was quickly embraced in the locker room and Guerrero was the first to earn the honor in late July, after one of his 48 long runs for the season.
It is also common to see the one who was born in Montreal massage his teammates, or even do their hair when they return to the paddock.
Even the manager Charlie Montoyo clashes in this traditional sport. He can sometimes be seen playing music in bars in the city. We are also whispered in our ears that he likes to play it in his office.
“It’s in our personality, adds the powerful puncher. We are brothers, we want to have fun. »
AFP and Twitter photos
The Blue Jays aren’t afraid to have fun, whether it’s at the expense of teammates, donning a jacket after a home run, singing in bars (which manager Charlie Montoyo likes to do) or sporting a cut of hair that is out of the ordinary (like Lourdes Gurriel junior).
may day in May
But the pleasure has been a little less great in the shelter of the Jays for a few weeks. Since the beginning of May, Toronto has lost six games against its rivals in the East of the American.
The Jays also dropped three out of a possible four against the Cleveland Guardians, a team that shouldn’t be a spoilsport for too long this season.
Toronto is 20-17, 7.5 games behind the New York Yankees.
The good start of the film?
A man of few words, Guerrero made a startling statement during training camp.
“Last year, you saw the trailer. This year you are going to see the movie. »
Even if the start of the season for this team on which many hopes rest is not as good as expected, “Vlad” does not budge.
“What I wanted to say is that last year, we escaped qualifying for the playoffs in our last game,” he said. This year, we will go a long way in the series. This start to the season does not change anything. »