Like many young men before him, Marcus Stroman fell in love on a Toronto rooftop patio on a sunny Saturday afternoon, one of those moments when the city looks and feels its absolute best.
It was Aug. 9, 2014 and Stroman had just duelled Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers to a nine-inning draw, the Blue Jays going on to win in the 10th. Playoff hopes were still alive. It was the best start of his burgeoning career.
Stroman and fellow Jays young gun Aaron Sanchez, looking to eat, headed to Oasis, the patio bar with a perfect view of the Rogers Centre on top of Wayne Gretzky’s on Blue Jays Way. The highlights of the game came on and those in the crowd who hadn’t figured out who was in their midst soon did, and in a welcoming, low-key way, made an effort to pay their respects.
Stroman was smitten.
“All the fans were there just greeting us and saying ‘whatup,’” said Stroman. “I think that was the moment when I was like: this is unbelievable. I love this city.”
The feeling is mutual. The Blue Jays have been the sports story of the year in Canada, awakening a giant, passionate fan base that was dormant after 20-plus years of frustration. In Toronto they’ve been a salve on a gaping civic sporting wound. And in a season of improbable storylines, Stroman’s is the best of all.
His apparent season-ending knee injury in spring training was the harbinger of doom. His Lazarus-like comeback proof that anything is possible. Rogers Centre throbbed when Stroman made his first start at home on Friday. It will be no different Wednesday night when Stroman, the 5-foot-8 firecracker tries to put one last spike through his hometown New York Yankees.
All eyes will be on him as he takes the mound, strutting, scowling, smiling, rejoicing; every moment playing out on a face that can be read more easily than Green Eggs and Ham.
“A guy like Stroman is definitely easy for fans to fall in love with right away,” says Jose Bautista, the longtime Blue Jays star who demands the public’s respect in advance of affection, in contrast to his 24-year-old teammate, who is as eager to connect with fans as they are with him. “His personality is so contagious and outgoing and happy all the time and he’s got that vibe and energy in his lifestyle because that’s truly who he is.
“Who doesn’t want to be around a guy who just lifts your spirit all the time?” adds Bautista. “That’s the reason the fan base has fallen in love with him. All he wants is a stage and this is it for him. He goes out there and does what he loves, which is pitch.”
Like many lasting love affairs, the one between Stroman and the city of Toronto took a little time to heat up.
On Stroman’s part there was a lack of familiarity, distance, a border, the unknown. All were in his mind when the Toronto Blue Jays picked him 22nd overall out of Duke University in 2012.
“Getting drafted to a Canadian team, you don’t know what to expect,” he says. “And when I first got drafted I was a little skeptical just because of everything: my parents getting to games, different country, all those thoughts run through your head.”
And from Toronto’s point of view, there was the obvious: what is a profoundly undersized pitcher drafted out of college going to do to help end two decades of competitive misery?
It hasn’t taken long for either party to have their initial concerns proven unfounded. For Stroman’s part, the initial skepticism has given way to a full-on city crush, as heartfelt as anything this side of Drake.
And as for Blue Jays fans, they are beside themselves watching Stroman turn into what could easily be the final piece of a championship puzzle that hasn’t been assembled since 1993, while emerging as Toronto’s most accessible, heart-on-his-sleeve athletic personality since Mike “Pinball” Clemons.
He’s already 2-0 in his myth-making return from reconstructive knee surgery, picking up from where he left off last season when the little engine with the big heart emerged as the future ace of a young Blue Jays staff.
Rogers Centre will be sold out Wednesday, just as it was for his emotional homecoming start on Friday. And the kid who was at first worried about coming to a new city in a new country will soak in every bit of the love that comes to him in buckets.
“Everywhere I go in the city, the fans, it’s been support, support, support from everyone who has followed my journey from when I got drafted and especially this summer when I went back to Duke and was seeing everyone constantly tweet support, support, support.
“It was unbelievable. I love this city, I truly do. I love being here, I love playing here, I love my team and I love everything about this city.”
Stroman’s timing is good, which is a true star’s most significant gift. Toronto has been home to all kinds of outstanding athletes over the years, many of them Blue Jays, but Stroman and Toronto have a chance to form a bond that very few athletes ever get to share with a community anywhere.
There are no Maple Leafs who have shown that they are willing or able to connect with the fans the way stars of the past have. The Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan is loved but low-key; Kyle Lowry is too prickly to be completely embraced. The Blue Jays are loaded with talent, but Stroman stands out in part because he’s perfectly pleased to be the people’s champ, connecting with fans on social media, soaking in the love.
It’s too early to predict, of course, but the ingredients are there. Stroman certainly projects to be an elite pitcher, but just as importantly he does it with a style that melts the most traditional baseball fan and 10-year-olds equally. He’s small and vibrant and bounces around to the beat of people’s walk-up music.
“For lack of a better word, he’s a bit of a show pony,” says teammate, centre-fielder Kevin Pillar. “He likes the bright lights. He likes the energy. Whether it’s pitching here in front of the home crowd or pitching at Yankee Stadium and everyone’s booing him. He likes to rise to the occasion.”
Visit him on social media and he’s the equivalent of a neighbour who always seems to be having a great day without making you feel worse about yours. His primary exports seem to be a devastating sinker pitch and happiness. Bump into him on the street near outside the downtown condo he calls home and he’ll say ‘hello’ right back.
“I’m not one to shy away or hide from being in the public eye, that’s something you have to embrace,” he said. “You have to do it the right way, there are ways to go about it but I love the city and embrace everything it has to offer.
“You can’t think about baseball 24-7 because you’ll go crazy. When I’m away from the field I like to learn about the city, meet new people.”
He’s young, educated, cool and black and practically an advertisement for the diverse, happening, successful crowd drawn to Toronto’s high-rise culture that has sprung up around Rogers Centre in the past decade.
Naturally he’s met and become friendly with Drake, Toronto’s unofficial curator of cool. A fan long before he was drafted by Toronto, Stroman counts being invited to the listening party for Drake’s new album as just another reason why he feels like he’s in the right city at the right time.
And on the right team. A high-energy, spotlight-craving youngster can easily fall out of favour in some MLB clubhouses. Stroman has been embraced like everyone’s younger brother in part because he’s genuine and also because he might bring the Blue Jays a World Series.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been shy,” he says, unnecessarily. “This is easy for me, I’m just open, I just like meeting new people, being around people and this clubhouse is unbelievable. They just let me be myself, which I think has a lot to do with being successful … no has said ‘Marcus, you need to change.’ They all let me be me.”
And let us give thanks for that.