TORONTO — Marcus Stroman is just over three years removed from his last day as a Toronto Blue Jays player, yet part of his heart still remains in the city and with the ballclub.
So much so that he’s rooting for the franchise.
“I’m hoping the Blue Jays figure it out and slide in the playoffs and do special things going forward,” Stroman said on Monday. “If there’s one team I’m rooting for in the playoffs, it’s Toronto.”
The spritely right-hander is back in Canada for the first time since 2019 and will take the mound for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre. He’ll be facing the organization that drafted him and helped him develop into a fan favourite and key member of its playoff teams in 2015 and ’16.
Memories from those glory days are of course top of mind for Stroman, who says he keeps in frequent touch with former teammates Mark Buehrle, Kevin Pillar, Ryan Goins, Jose Bautista and manager John Gibbons. Stroman came back from ACL surgery to contribute to the Blue Jays’ post-season run in 2015 and by the next year, was starting the memorable wild-card game against Baltimore.
“I remember going out 40 minutes before the game to warm up and the entire crowd rose,” says Stroman of his memories from that night. “Like, it was every step I took, everybody from the crowd was up cheering, kind of going crazy. The atmosphere here, it’s hard to replicate, especially during those times — 50,000 screaming fans.
“We went out in the city and everyone was showing love,” he added.
That outpouring of adoration remains to this day. The 31-year-old right-hander said that as soon as he touched down in Canada, fans were telling him that they missed him. His social media accounts were rife with such messages and many fans were eagerly awaiting him when he emerged from the clubhouse for batting practice on Monday.
Such love reminded Stroman that the Blue Jays represent not only Toronto, but an entire country.
“Just the overall vibe of the city and country — it’s hard to match the entire country rooting for you,” he said. “I used to go on these cross-country trips with the [Blue Jays winter caravan] and we’d be in Calgary, Saskatoon, Newfoundland. Just seeing the people, it just kind of hits different when you realize when you’re travelling coast to coast, you have fans that are spread out over the nation.
“I feel like I’m part Canadian in my blood at this point, and I’m very thankful to have played here with the Blue Jays for my time,” he added, noting that his partner is Canadian, which makes his nine-month-old son, Kai Zen, half Canadian.
Stroman was traded to the New York Mets on July 28, 2019 for minor-league pitchers Simeon Woods Richardson and Anthony Kay. He signed a three-year, $71-million deal with the Cubs this past off-season and has endured a rough campaign with his new club. He missed time due to COVID-19 and also dealt with a shoulder issue. He sports a 3-6 record with a 4.10 ERA over 18 starts.
He’s kept tabs on his former club and heaped praise on Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
“Schneids is the man,” said Stroman. “I was hoping when [former manager Charlie Montoyo was fired]Schneider would get that role. I think he’s going to be here a long time. I think everybody loves him. He knows how to handle personalities. He knows how to handle different groups of guys.”
The Blue Jays manager, who took over the club in July, made sure to catch up with Stroman earlier on Monday, meeting him outside the Blue Jays clubhouse.
“Cool to see him,” Schneider said. “Obviously a really good competitor pitching some huge games for us in this organization. And he was excited to be back in the city to see all these guys. So, good to see him and looking forward to figure out a way to beat him tomorrow.”
Stroman is set to face Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman on Tuesday night in a return that was a long time coming. It might not be a playoff atmosphere like the ones he experienced at Rogers Centre in the past, but that isn’t taking away from his anticipation of performing once again in front of Toronto fans.
“They showed me nothing but love since the time I was a Blue Jay,” said Stroman. “So, I can’t wait to go out there and take it all in.”
