Don Cherry is the latest to show support for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders in his chase for the final spot on the American League All-Star team.
Cherry has a soft spot for Saunders because he grew up in Victoria, B.C. and played rep hockey.
“I love a Canadian who went through five minor leagues to get there,” the legendary Coach’s Corner icon said Friday in a guest appearance on Baseball Central. “Guys like Saunders make us proud. And (Larry) Walker. And (Joey) Votto. And (Justin) Morneau, we should proud of them. It’s just great. We got to get out and vote.”
Saunders was leading the AL vote over George Springer of the Astros as of Friday morning with over 15 million votes. The hashtag #VoteCaptainCanada was trending on Twitter throughout Friday morning.
“People have to realize you can vote 1,000 times,” Cherry said. “Let’s keep it going. He’s a good Canadian boy and we have to keep it going. I love to see a guy with a bad shoulder and bad knee (going strong). It sounds like a pretty good guy to me.”
Cherry, who is a huge baseball fan, also acknowledged how much he’s enjoyed watching the surging Blue Jays over the past month or so.
“When Alex (Anthopoulos) was gone, I was really ticked off. That (Mark) Shapiro and (Ross) Atkins, I think his name, they’ve kept it pretty good. I wonder what they thought when Cleveland was in here. They built that team up. I think the Jays are No. 1 in attendance. When you get in a roll like that, why wouldn’t you love this club? The home runs. (Josh) Donaldson, if that guy isn’t a hockey player I don’t know who is. Is That guy is a beauty or what.”
