TORONTO — On a team full of sluggers, a singles hitter like Ben Revere stands out.
The left fielder has won over many fans since joining the Toronto Blue Jays thanks to a quirky but effective left-handed swing that generates hits in bunches. Sitting among those fans Thursday and Friday will be Revere’s 85-year-old grandfather, a longtime Cincinnati Reds fan who has admired contact hitters for decades.
“He always wanted me to hit like Pete Rose. He loves the line drives,” Revere said. “He loves hits. Home runs — all baseball fans love that, but he definitely loves line drives, the three and four-hit games.”
Revere has just four career home runs, but he led the NL in hits last year and collected 181 more this year between the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies while posting a .719 OPS. He has batted at least .305 in each of the last three seasons thanks to above-average contact ability and speed.
Revere’s grandfather speaks regularly with his 27-year-old grandson and already visited Toronto once this summer. The elder Revere never got the chance to see the Big Red Machine win it all in person, but his grandson has designs on making up for it by playing deep into the 2015 postseason.
“Hopefully I get him that opportunity,” Revere said.
