Fresh off a memorable 2015 campaign that saw the Toronto Blue Jays reach the American League Conference Series, members of the Blue Jays were in Ottawa during the weekend as part of the 2016 Blue Jays Winter Tour.
Pitcher Marco Estrada, outfielder Kevin Pillar, second baseman Ryan Goins, and first baseman Justin Smoak were all in the nation’s capital to visit fans ahead of spring training next month.
“I’m excited to see what this is all about. I haven’t really had a chance to experience much of this,” Estrada said.
“We kind of started early [Friday] morning—we went directly to a radio station but there weren’t too many people there,” he said. “Later today I get to work with some kids and I’m looking forward to that and then after that go to the hockey game, I’m excited about that . . . We get to see the city a little more and see what Ottawa is all about.”
On Jan. 22 afternoon, the quartet of Blue Jays went to visit patients and their families at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Afterwards they visited members of the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa and concluded the day by taking in the Ottawa Senators game.
“It’s awesome—now having a kid myself its gonna be pretty cool to get to see the kids,” Smoak said.
“They look up to all of us from the star players to the last guy on the totem pole. They look up to everybody and I think it will be a cool situation to get there and see them and say hi to them and just enjoy the day.”
Fans had the opportunity to get autographs from the Jays at the St. Laurent Centre on Jan. 23. The support from fans was so large that Blue Jays staff had to cut off the line well before the event even started.
“It’s always a special experience,” said Pillar about being part of the Winter Tour. “It’s something you can’t experience unless you go there and get outside the city.”
“I was fortunate enough to do it last year and go to Calgary and Banff and see how important the Blue Jays are across Canada,” he said.
“It’s a good way to go into spring training having that extra motivation and adrenaline from getting out and experiencing it.”
While in Ottawa, the Blue Jays spoke highly about the fans’ support they received not just in Toronto, but across the nation during their best season in over 20 years.
“You have the whole country cheering you on, and you bring everybody together and cheering for one goal and that’s for us to win and that’s what we expect to do,” Smoak said.
“It makes you work that much harder and play that much harder to try and make everybody happy.”
Estrada cited the intense fan support as a reason for choosing to resign in the off-season instead of testing free agency.
“The main reason I wanted to come back was because of all the love and support that we’re getting from Canada,” he said. “You aren’t just playing for Toronto—it’s the entire country.”
“It’s a pretty cool thing having an entire country behind you,” he said.
One unique part of the tour for the Blue Jays is experiencing a cold, Canadian winter. Players are usually only in Toronto during the season from April to October and don’t experience the below-zero temperatures.
“It’s cold, you look outside and there is nothing but snow,” Goins said, a Texas native. “You can’t go outside without a jacket, that’s for sure.”
