Toronto Blue Jays

[Mowich]

103-year-old Toronto Blue Jays fan runs bases at Rogers Centre

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TORONTO -- Kitty Cohen was waiting patiently when manager John Gibbons emerged from the Toronto Blue Jays' dugout on Saturday morning. The 103-year-old was parked in front of her walker and surrounded by friends and family when Gibbons came onto the field to meet her before Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. She greeted him with open arms, reaching up to wrap Gibbons in a hug and planting a kiss on his cheek, but after that she was all business.

Cohen made a beeline for the basepaths, with Gibbons doing his best to keep up.

It's not every day the 54-year-old skipper strays from his pregame managerial duties, but Saturday was a notable exception, born from an unusual request he received back in spring training.

A letter arrived in his office in Dunedin, Florida -- with no return address listed -- from Cohen, a Toronto resident and longtime Blue Jays fan. She informed Gibbons it was her dream to one day "run" the bases at Rogers Centre.

Admiring her moxie, Gibbons felt he had to find a way to make it happen, so, with the help of Holly Gentemann, the Blue Jays' manager of player relations, they tracked down the nursing home where Cohen lives and arranged a date to make her wish come true.

Saturday was that day.

Cohen veered off track only once, when she passed first base and appeared to be headed for right field with the vim and vigor of an outfielder chasing down a fly ball, but Gibbons quickly corralled her toward second instead.

From there, she picked up speed and hustled around the basepaths, hamming it up for the cheering crowd of fans and family who flew in from Vancouver and Switzerland for the momentous day.

When she arrived at home plat,e she finished with a flourish, beaming and waving her hot pink feather boa in celebration.

Overheard after she crossed the finish line? Someone joked, "We might need an oxygen tank out here!"

And they weren't talking about Cohen. They were talking about Gibbons.


103-year-old Toronto Blue Jays fan runs bases at Rogers Centre - Detroit Tigers- ESPN

You Go Kitty! :smile:

 

[spaminator]

Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman stands beside the massive marlin he caught while taking time away from the field. (TWITTER PHOTO)

 

[Mowich]

Torrential rain and thunder claps that shook the house were no problem until my sat feed was knocked out - sheesh. Lost my net connection for a bit too..............anyway got it back in time to join the game in the 4th. Jays are ahead 7 - 3 over the Athletics. Buck was saying that the Jays have been playing good fundamental baseball - apparently they were able to take advantage of a couple of wild pitches and errors by Oaklands outfield along with getting men on base. Stroman is on the mound for the Jays tonight. The A's starter was just given the boot and his reliever was able to get out of the inning with no more damage to the home team.

Marcus gives up a lead-off single bottom of the 4th

Strikes out Siemens - oops Marcus may have got a good call on that one

I guess Marcus has had his struggles tonight according to Buck and his buddy

3 and 2 on the batter - home-plate ump calls Alonzo out on a strike and there is a big fooforrah ending with Alonzo being throw out of the game whilst the manager is arguing with the ump and he's out of the game - 2 away

Gotta say it looked like ball 4 to me and to Buck

Wild pitch and runner advances to 2nd

3 and 2 - ground ball back through the middle and the A's score another run

7 - 4

2 and 2 to the batter - ground ball to Tulo and that's 3 away

Gotta say Marcus does not look sharp out there at all

Michael with a lead-off walk, Russell with a single, 3 and 1 to Tulo - and he takes the second strike swinging - 3 - 2 and he fouls off the pitch, then flies out to right for 1 away - Michael moves to 3rd and the Jays have runners on the corners

Smoakie goes down on 3 pitches - all fast balls

Kevin out on a ground ball to 2nd and the Jays are retired stranding 2 on base

Lead-off batter grounds out to Smoakie - 1 away

Called strike-out on 2nd batter

Josh Reddick - apparently a hot batter is 3rd up - Reddick's hit falls for a single with 2 away

Marcus gives up a 2- run homer

7 - 6

And follows that with another homer

7 - 7

Gibbons is coming to the mound and Stro is out of the game and now more questions will arise concerning Marcus' performance

Jesse Chavez gets the Jays out of the inning - no further damage done

Eddie goes down swinging for 3 away after A's pitcher - who is head's above the last one - struck out Josh, allowed a walk and got a ground ball out.

Jays gets out of the 6th with a nice little 5, 4, 3 play and we're off to the top of the 7th still tied at 7 apiece.

Michael takes a lead-off walk to start the 7th

Russell flies out to center

Tulo flies out

Pillar flies out to deep in left field and that the Jay's gone down

Cecil retires the first two batters on lovely strike-outs

Reddick makes base again on a walk

Davis makes base with 2 away

Out frickin' standing throw to the plate by Pillar from the outfield to tag out Reddick..............however............they are reviewing the play as A's fans chant 'safe, safe, safe'. They overturned the call and the Jays trail by 1.

Brett's out and Bo Schultz strikes out the final batter and that's the inning

8 - 7 Oakland

Devon Travis strikes out to lead-off the batting order

Zeke takes a walk

A's get a double-play as Josh grounds out to 2nd - no joy for the Jays

Devon loses the handle on the throw to first, misses the double play buts gets the out at 2nd

Bo gets out of the inning - couple of hits but no runs

Jays retired in order and that's the ball game - better pitching might have helped.

 

[talloola]

we enjoyed the game today, stroman pitched very well, better than he has for some time.

jays 10 Arizona 4

very sharp looking team right now. bautista should be back Monday I think, goins as well, soon.

seems they have another day off tomorrow, then host the mariners Friday.

stats for the game are easily found at the 'blue jays' official site.

 

[Mowich]

we enjoyed the game today, stroman pitched very well, better than he has for some time.

jays 10 Arizona 4

very sharp looking team right now. bautista should be back Monday I think, goins as well, soon.

seems they have another day off tomorrow, then host the mariners Friday.

stats for the game are easily found at the 'blue jays' official site.

Many reason to cheer both today and yesterday, talloola. It was the best game Marcus has had in awhile - very happy for him. I also enjoyed the first game of the series especially the pitching of young Aaron Sanchez. Two in a row for the Blue Birds now. Really looking forward to seeing Joey back in the line-up.

 

[spaminator]

Artist shows Blue Jays love with public piano piece
Videographer Audra Brown speaks with one artist from Cobourg who hand carved her love for the Blue Jays into a musical tribute.
Jul 20, 2016, 6:22 PM
Artist shows Blue Jays love with public piano piece

 

[Mowich]

Oh, oh.............Marco's first day back on the mound and he gives up a lead-off triple.

His next pitch, hits the batter - runners on 1rst and 3rd

Base hit, runner on 3rd scores, Darwin can't handle Tulo's throw and they miss the double-play but get the runner on first

Base hit and there are runners on 1rst and 3rd

2nd out comes on a pop foul to the glove of Josh

Marco has thrown 18 pitches - 2 of them have been strikes

Pillar comes through with a great catch on a high fly-ball to center for the 3rd out. Marco got real lucky - hope he can get some rhythm going - he doesn't look comfortable.

1 - zip Mariners

Mariner's pitcher James Paxton is from Ladner, BC.

Paxton gets Barney on a ground ball that rebounds right back to him

Gets Josh out on a strike 3 swing and a miss

And catches Edwin swinging ..........a 1, 2, 3 inning for James - I'm not cheering............really

Great come-back for Marco in the 2nd, he got two easy outs on then struck out the 3rd.

Michael comes through with a nice little homer to tie the game - Devon and Kevin were retired

Lead-off batter Aoki, with a line drive Barney caught then instantaneously threw to Devon at 2nd - the call was out but the play is under review. It was a great throw by Darwin. And they over-turned the call on the field so the Mariners have a man at 2nd with no one out.

Marco is struggling again but gets the 1rst out on a ground ball to Devon

Josh nabs another high foul for the 2nd out

Devon easily handles a fly ball and the inning is over

Junior out on a ground ball back to Paxton

Josh Thole out on a ground to 3rd

Barney fouls out and the Jays are retired in order

Tulo gets the first out with a nifty little over the shoulder grab

Lind gets a line drive for a stand-up double

Marco gets the next batter swinging for 2 away after throwing two consecutive strikes right across the plate

Kevin, again, with the 3rd out of the inning on a fly ball to deep center field - the Mariner's strand Lind on 2nd

Paxton gets Josh looking for the 1rst out

Edwin goes down swinging

Then struck out Tulo

Marco gives up a lead-off single

Runner scores on a double given up by Marco - right down off the end of the bat past Josh

High fly ball to Barney and it's 2 away

Tulo gets the 3rd out but the Mariner's are ahead 2 - 1

James delivers another 1, 2, 3 inning for the Mariners

1 away and Marco loads the bases after he hits the 3rd batter

Pillar gets Marco out a big jam with a wonderful sliding catch for the 3rd out - Mariners strand 3

Edwin strikes out stranding two on base and I'm outta here..............Riders are hosting the Redblacks who are still unbeaten - the latter are unbeaten not the former..............unfortunately.

 

[talloola]

they should have sent thole home on that play where Donaldson hit, he died on 3rd base, but it seems

he can't run well, but with 20/20 hindsight he would have been safe standing up, oh well, next time.

seattle pitched great, with a nice pitcher,' thatcher' from ladner,b.c.

 

[Mowich]

they should have sent thole home on that play where Donaldson hit, he died on 3rd base, but it seems

he can't run well, but with 20/20 hindsight he would have been safe standing up, oh well, next time.

seattle pitched great, with a nice pitcher,' thatcher' from ladner,b.c.

I think the Mariners got a wee bit of help from another home-plate ump who couldn't tell a ball from a strike.

 

[talloola]

I think the Mariners got a wee bit of help from another home-plate ump who couldn't tell a ball from a strike.

I noticed the mariners not too happy with him either.

in the last inning that side arm pitcher had a pitch that started out very low,
and climbed all the way to the plate,some were low, and called a ball, and some of those strikes were strikes, the tracker
showed that the ball came up just enough to cross the bottom of the strike zone, a different pitch
than the majority of baseball pitches, more like a fastpitch pitcher.

 

[talloola]

have to correct seattle pitcher from ladner, name is Paxton, I called him thatcher.

 

[Mowich]

have to correct seattle pitcher from ladner, name is Paxton, I called him thatcher.

Saw that in your post, talloola but figured you'd catch it ..........and I was right:smile:

In a way I'm glad I had to work today and missed the game - read that RA had another bad day and the relievers weren't a heck of a lot better - another win for the Mariners and my friend JoAnn will be most pleased as she is a big Seattle fan.

 

[talloola]

Saw that in your post, talloola but figured you'd catch it ..........and I was right:smile:

In a way I'm glad I had to work today and missed the game - read that RA had another bad day and the relievers weren't a heck of a lot better - another win for the Mariners and my friend JoAnn will be most pleased as she is a big Seattle fan.

yes today was a day when the organization should get serious and make some plans, there is no way
they can depend on the pitching to take them anywhere right now.

sure sanchez would make the bull pen look much better, but what about the starting position he
leaves behind.
dickie is never going to hold up his end in playoffs, so they do need another starter, and a
few more bullpenners. don't know why he keeps going back to chavez, hopefully no more, he's
even worse than the others, this is a a very important time, right now, to either be satisfied
that the team won't go further than regular season, or make the move to be competitive, and
fight for that playoff position.

 

[Mowich]

Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays outfielder, nabs Wilson defensive player award

Toronto centre fielder only American League player selected

By Mike Dennis, CBC Sports Posted: Nov 11, 2015 10:49 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 11, 2015 11:10 PM ET

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It wasn't gold but it was a prestigious honour for defensive prowess that was awarded to centre fielder Toronto Blue Jays Kevin Pillar, who was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year by the sporting goods company on Wednesday.

​

Pillar, who finished second to Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier in the Gold Glove awards handed out Tuesday, topped the voting conducted by Wilson. Pillar, 26, captivated Canada and all Major League Baseball fans with a season full of unbelievable catches, including a memorable scaling of the Rogers Centre left-field fence to prevent a home run in April.

"He's a highlight reel," Blue Jays interim general manager Tony LaCava said of Pillar.

Pillar was the only American League player named among the nine players chosen for each position on the field.

Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays outfielder, nabs Wilson defensive player award - CBC Sports - Baseball - MLB

This comes on the same day that the Blue Jays hold Kevin Pillar Bobble-Head day and both his brother and father got to throw pitches to him from the mound. Rock on Kevin......really well deserved.

It was a day of redemption for the pitching staff who shouldered the blame for the first two losses, then came through today to prevent the Mariners from sweeping the series. The Jays take the last game 2 - 1. The San Diego Padres are next up on the Jay's dance card.

 

[talloola]

we are now seeing 'aaron sanchez' as a maturing young man, a very talented pitcher/player for the

blue jays. he not only loves to play the game, but is deeply competitive, hence that great play he

made last night, fielding the infield grounder, had to dive to get the ball, turned to throw to

first base, but 'no one' home, as smokey had also gone to the ball, instead of staying home, as it

turned out, he should have. oh well, a good play anyway.

sanchez is bigger and heavier this season, and mentally more mature, he steps on that mound with a

plan, he is intense and talented, and a joy to watch.

he might be in the bull pen soon, but whatever they do with him, he

will still be there, they want to protect his arm, so that he can pitch thru his career, hopefully without

injury or surgery.

 

[Mowich]

In the bottom of the 12th inning with a full count, Devon Travis held off the pitcher with 14 straight fouls before he was walked on the 15th pitch. He was well rewarded for his forbearance at bat when he scored the winning run off a wild pitch that got a good enough bounce off the catcher for Devon reach home. Jays win it 7 - 6. What a game. Great come-back for the Jays.

The Gods of Baseball were pleased with the win and further rewarded the Jays by delivering losses to both the Red Sox and the Orioles. Jays now sit in 2nd spot. Yeah!

Oh, and our newest acquisition, Melvin Upton got a base hit his first at bat as a Blue Bird.

 

[talloola]

In the bottom of the 12th inning with a full count, Devon Travis held off the pitcher with 14 straight fouls before he was walked on the 15th pitch. He was well rewarded for his forbearance at bat when he scored the winning run off a wild pitch that got a good enough bounce off the catcher for Devon reach home. Jays win it 7 - 6. What a game. Great come-back for the Jays.

The Gods of Baseball were pleased with the win and further rewarded the Jays by delivering losses to both the Red Sox and the Orioles. Jays now sit in 2nd spot. Yeah!

Oh, and our newest acquisition, Melvin Upton got a base hit his first at bat as a Blue Bird.

upton actually got a 'fielder's choice', not a 'base hit'. the fielder chose to throw the ball to
second base, and not first. they did miss the double play, but if they had of thrown the ball to
first and not second he would have been out.

 

[Mowich]

Jays won their first game against the Orioles tonight. Final: 6 - 5

 

[talloola]

Jays won their first game against the Orioles tonight. Final: 6 - 5

good game, Estrada is still a tad rusty, but got the win, bull pen did great, and they had
good offense, even bautista got a homer, haven't seen that for a long time.

 

[Mowich]

ROCK ON BLUE BIRDS....................TOP OF THE ALE!!!

9 - 1 win over the Orioles. JA got 11 strike outs and pitched to the top of the 8th. The bats came alive in the 5th inning. They were also very patient - lost count of the walks issued. Can't remember all the stats but I know that Superman had himself a 4 RBI day during his time at bat. JA is now 14 and 3 on the season. The Jays really shone today.