Don Cherry is giving Josh Donaldson a big thumbs-up for Wednesday’s bat-smashing display.
After striking out for a second time in the Toronto Blue Jays‘ victory over the Yankees in New York, the third baseman destroyed his bat near John Gibbons and some teammates as he returned to the dugout.
The manager spoke to Donaldson about it face-to-face and the situation got heated enough that Troy Tulowitzki stepped in to separate the men. Watch:
Cherry, the star of Hockey Night in Canada’s Coach’s Corner and a diehard Jays fan, gave a hearty approval of Donaldson’s actions in a five-part tweet Thursday evening, going so far as to compare his passion to that of NHL legends Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky:
Cherry has been firmly in Donaldson’s corner since the 2015 AL MVP arrived in town, memorably campaigning for Canada to vote the infielder into the 2015 All-Star Game during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“He reminds me of a hockey player,” Cherry once told Sportsnet. “I like everything about his game. He could play for the Bruins.”