Bo Bichette is set to return to Toronto tonight, marking his first appearance at Rogers Centre as a member of the New York Mets. His return comes as the Blue Jays are in search of their first win since last week, currently enduring a six-game losing streak that includes a four-game sweep by the Texas Rangers.
Bichette, who spent seven years and 748 games with the Blue Jays, signed a three-year, US$126 million contract with the Mets in the off-season. During his time in Toronto, he contributed to four playoff appearances and one World Series run, also earning two All-Star selections. He came up through the minor league system alongside players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero Jr., who shared the minor league journey with Bichette, is still seeking his first home run of the season. He went 0 for 9 in the final two games of the Rangers series, reflecting the team’s ongoing difficulties.
A familiar yet ‘weird’ return
The experience of returning to a former team’s ballpark as an opponent is often described as “weird” by many players. Matt Olson noted the strangeness of arriving at a familiar stadium’s visitors’ entrance on a coach bus for the first time. Bryce Harper described it as unusual to find his nameplate in a road clubhouse, instinctively gravitating towards his old stall.
George Springer also shared that navigating unfamiliar tunnels to reach a field he had played on hundreds of times felt strange. This sentiment of unfamiliarity in a once-familiar setting is what Bichette is expected to encounter upon his return to Toronto.
The significance of a player’s first game back can vary based on their temperament, according to Dylan Cease. Some boisterous fan favourites might thrive in the spotlight of a welcome-back tribute, while others prefer a quieter return. For some, like Kevin Gausman and Harper, these returns are vivid memories, while for others, they are less distinct.
Cease, for instance, remembers walking through the streets of Chicago and revisiting his favourite restaurants more vividly than his actual first start back after five years with the White Sox. Olson recalled hitting a three-run homer in his return to Oakland, leading the Atlanta Braves to a victory, but primarily remembered feeling exhausted from a late cross-country flight.
Emotional and memorable moments
Gausman, who spent his first six MLB seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, has a distinct memory of his first start back in Maryland. He noted the absence of a video board tribute, which some of his former teammates, including Dylan Bundy, had received. This omission, Gausman stated, served as an extra motivator.
He made 150 appearances for the Orioles, progressing from a high draft pick to a regular in the rotation. Despite not fully reaching his potential in Baltimore, he maintains an affection for Camden Yards and a routine of getting a breakfast burrito at Spoons when in the area. Matches against his former team hold particular importance for him.
Gausman’s return to Camden occurred in September 2022, during his first season with the Blue Jays. Earlier that year, he had faced the Orioles at Rogers Centre, an outing he described as a “complete disaster” due to illness. He allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings, marking one of his worst starts of the season.
This difficult experience only intensified his desire to perform well in his Baltimore return three months later. Fueled by the lack of a welcome-back video, Gausman delivered 6 2/3 quality innings in a 7-3 Blue Jays victory. Since then, he has remained acutely aware of the opponent when facing his former team, expressing a desire to demonstrate what they are missing.
Video board tributes, though brief, carry meaning for players, signifying their legacy and contributions to a franchise. They offer fans an opportunity to show their appreciation. Chris Bassitt, who returned to Toronto in June after three years with the Blue Jays, expressed discomfort with watching himself on the big screen and facing smirking former teammates, yet he still appreciated the memories evoked by the montage of his Blue Jays highlights.
Springer, who won World Series MVP with the Astros in 2017, now appreciates his tribute more, four years after his first return to Houston with the Blue Jays. He recalled not knowing how to navigate the visitors’ locker room or find his way to the field. The view from the opposing on-deck circle felt entirely different. Former teammates Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman greeted him with hugs and playful pranks before a lengthy reel of his highlights played on the screen.
Springer described the feeling of saluting a former fanbase while his new team watched as bizarre. While returning to Houston still evokes emotion, he suppressed it during that initial visit, aiming to be respectful to his new teammates. Harper, who debuted with the Washington Nationals in 2012, initially received a hero’s welcome. However, upon his return to Washington after signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, he was met with heckles and boos, even during his video tribute and after hitting a two-run homer.
Harper acknowledged the fan reaction, understanding that it’s part of how fanbases operate. He has observed similar returns from teammates like Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Jayson Werth. Harper anticipates that Bichette, after seven seasons in Toronto, will likely not be treated as a traitor. A video tribute is expected for the shortstop who helped usher in a new era of Blue Jays baseball. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
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Source: cp24.com
