Toronto Blue Jays first base coach Mark Budzinski shared a stirring remembrance of his late daughter, Julia, ahead of his first game back with the team, reflecting on her competitive spirit and sarcastic wit.
"Fierce competitor, social butterfly, very strong faith. Just loved being around people. And sarcastic wit. She's very sarcastic, which she gets from me," said Budzinski, who was fighting back tears prior to Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox.
Budzinski had not been with the team since the boating accident which claimed his daughter's life on July 2.
Julia was one of two girls who fell off a tube being pulled behind a boat on the James River in Richmond, Virginia that day, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources spokesperson Paige Pearson said.
As the boat operator returned to get the girls out of the water, the boat hit a wave, causing it to be pushed on top of Budzinski and striking her with the propeller, Pearson said. The boat driver and the operator of another passing boat jumped into the water to try to rescue Budzinski, who was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Pearson said no foul play is suspected and alcohol was not a factor. “It was a terrible accident,” she said.
On July 3, the Blue Jays held a moment of silence in Julia's honour, as did the Oakland Athletics as hosts to visiting Toronto on July 4, and both MLB teams and baseball fans across Canada showed an outpouring of support for the Budzinski family — something Mark Budzinski says "meant the world" to them.
"It's just an incredible gift when you go through something like this," he said. "It's hard. But when you have so many people surrounding you with love, care and support, it means the world to us."
With files from The Associated Press
