Emotional Bo Bichette reflects on Blue Jays tenure: ‘Gave it everything I had’
“I don’t know what to expect,” Bichette said of the crowd’s response to his return. “I mean… I gave it everything I had, so I hope that’s appreciated.”
Sitting in front of dozens of reporters in the visitors’ dugout, Bichette spoke pre-game with a heavy heart, pausing multiple times while reflecting upon his Blue Jays tenure — spanning almost a decade after the organization drafted him in the second round in 2016 — as he stared out onto the field that he previously considered home.
This was his first time back in the city that adopted him as one of its own. Understandably, several memories and feelings came rushing to the surface. Toronto meant the world to him, and, clearly, it still holds a special place — and always will.
Bichette discovered fairly quickly that, around these parts, that feeling is still mutual. He received a pair of standing ovations Monday night, all before stepping into the batter’s box for his first at-bat since Game 7 of the World Series — which will forever hold the lasting image of his final, and perhaps greatest, moment as a Blue Jay.
For manager John Schneider, too.
The Blue Jays skipper said before the game that he took a mental image of the embrace at home plate between Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whom the Los Angeles Dodgers walked to bring his fellow franchise cornerstone teammate to the plate. If a picture could say a thousand words, it would have read, ‘This is what it’s supposed to look like.’
“I think this is an opportunity for me to reflect on good times and just be grateful for what it did for my career,” said Bichette.
Quite the reception for Bo’s return!
🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50
They were teenagers when they first met. Now, as they square off against each other across this three-game series, they’re full-grown adults, still playing the game they both grew up with.
“We went through it all together,” an emotional Bichette said. “The one goal we had together, we didn’t accomplish it. But I’ve seen him at his lowest, he’s seen me at mine here and vice versa, too.”
The life of a baseball season can be chaotic, even at the best of times. Between adjusting to a new team, a new city and a different league, there’s been a lot thrown at Bichette in the months since agreeing to a three-year, $126 million contract with the Mets.
As such, the All-Star infielder said he hasn’t had much time to keep in touch with a lot of his former Blue Jays teammates, including Guerrero. Those two hadn’t reunited earlier in the day before arriving at the stadium. That highly anticipated moment instead occurred on the field pre-game, and when asked about his expectations around that long-awaited reunion, Bichette, after taking a long pause, said, “It’ll be good.”
With Trey Yesavage and Toronto’s bullpen holding Bichette to an 0-for-4 night in his return, he didn’t have an opportunity to continue reconnecting with Guerrero at first base. But he did receive a chance to salute the 40,000-plus fans in attendance for his first game back since last year’s Fall Classic.
“It’s nice to know you meant a lot to people, the city meant a lot to me, spent a lot of years here… so it felt good,” Bichette said post-game.
The moment grew bigger than Bichette would probably care to admit. He usually steers clear of the spotlight as often as he can. In this instance, though, he took a few seconds to let everything soak in before his first at-bat, even taking off his helmet — with a little encouragement from Guerrero — to acknowledge those applauding in the stands.
“It’s awesome, it’s sad, it’s great, it’s everything,” George Springer said. “I love Bo, and he was so good to me while he was here, and he was so good for us as a team for the organization.
“He means the world to that [Blue Jays] locker room. So, to see him here today in another jersey, you know, it’s tough, but you know, it’s okay. I’m happy for him.”
What’s surely even sweeter inside that Blue Jays clubhouse is that they not only held Bichette hitless in his return, but also came away with a victory — snapping their season-long, six-game losing skid — over one of their former teammates.
As much as these guys love each other, they’re also extremely competitive. So, any time they can get one up on each other, it’s a chance at bragging rights, too.
Round one went to Toronto. Let’s see how the next two rounds play out.