TORONTO – A day after making his MLB debut, the first thought running through Kevin Pillar’s mind is not one you would expect.
Pillar, a native of West Hills, Calif., went hitless in his first game on Wednesday with the Toronto Blue Jays after a whirlwind 24 hours that saw him jump from triple-A Buffalo to the big leagues.
And with his major league debut now out of the way, the 24-year-old outfielder can know turn his attention to some other pressing issues.
“Getting my international plan set and not making that many texts or phone calls that I would like,” Pillar explained. “Just knowing that yesterday wasn’t a dream and that I get to do it all again today.
“I thought about maybe not being that star struck and not being as caught up in the moment as I was yesterday,” he continued. “Even though I was relaxed, I found myself a couple of times in the outfield staring into the stands, looking at the lights, checking out the scoreboard, arena and the (CN) Tower.”
Pillar is hoping that he can build on a lot of firsts, including making adjustments in the batter’s box and fielding with one of the largest freestanding structures in the world in his sightline.
“It’s my first time here, and with the roof being open I caught myself looking at it a couple of times,” Pillar said. “For somebody that may have seen a game here, or came for a workout, or maybe sat on a park bench for a day, you would get it out of your system, but me being in the outfield for the very first time, I had to deal with that stuff.”
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons thinks Pillar, who has 155 hits in 123 games between double-A and triple-A this season, will be able to help the ball club.
“He does everything in baseball,” Gibbons said. “He can run the bases, knows how to handle the bat and he is a good defender. He doesn’t have super-star talent, but he does everything the right way.”
Josh Johnson injury update
MRI results on Josh Johnson’s right arm have confirmed that he indeed has a strained right forearm.
On Tuesday the Toronto Blue Jays placed the starting pitcher on the 15-day disabled list and re-called Thad Weber from triple-A Buffalo.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons confirmed the injury prior to Thursday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
The results of the MRI will now be sent to Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion.
Acquired from the Miami Marlins in the off-season, the 29-year-old Johnson has struggled in 2013 posting a 2-8 record, with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP.
