TORONTO — Bo Bichette sat in front of a throng of media in the visitors’ dugout at Rogers Centre, answering questions as tears welled in his eyes. The topic had turned to what reaction he was expecting from the crowd later in the evening.
“I don't know what to expect,” Bichette said before pausing for 20 seconds while trying to contain the emotions written all over his face. “I think I gave it everything I had. I just hope that's appreciated.”
While the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Mets, 2-1, on Monday to snap a six-game losing streak, the main story of the day was indeed Bichette’s return to his former home. It was inescapable inside the stadium, from the plethora of fans wearing his No. 11 Blue Jays jersey to the tribute on the video board prior to first pitch.
Bichette stood on the field near the right-field line watching and when it was over, his hope became reality as the crowd responded with a loud ovation. Then, when he strolled to the batter’s box for his at-bat in the first inning, the cheers grew even louder, prompting Bichette to remove his helmet and acknowledge the crowd.
John Schneider managed Bichette across various levels in the minors as well as half of his seven MLB seasons in Toronto. He knows the 28-year-old better than almost anyone in the game and made sure to watch video of Bichette’s pre-game interview.
“Appreciated what he said in terms of he hopes that everyone understands he left it all out there, which he did,” Schneider said. “And I thought it was cool that our fans recognized him and rightfully so. It took (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) to get him to take his helmet off. But I thought the reaction was really, really well deserved.”
Bichette became a free agent after a World Series that featured his epic Game 7 home run off Shohei Ohtani. As he remained on the market, Bichette said he “had a feeling” he wouldn’t be returning to the Blue Jays and ended up signing a three-year, $126-million deal with the Mets in January.
“I don't think there's regrets,” said Bichette. “I think at the end of the day it just didn't line up for whatever reason.”
Asked if this three-game series was a chance to show the Blue Jays what they’re missing, he took the high road.
“No, I think this is an opportunity for me to reflect on good times.”
Bichette started at third base for the Mets and went 0-for-4 in Monday’s contest, with three of those at-bats coming against Trey Yesavage. The right-hander held down the New York lineup, with the only damage against him coming on a Francisco Lindor solo home run in the seventh inning. He allowed just three hits and struck out three with no walks, attacking with a fastball that topped out at 96.2 m.p.h. and averaged 94.9, up a tick from its normal range.
“I'd rather go out there and give up homers, solo homers, than walk the house,” said Yesavage, who issued five free passes in his previous start and 20 over his last five. “That's what happened today. I'm happy with it.
Yesavage’s outing halted a trend that saw Blue Jays starters put the team behind early in six straight games. He surrendered a double to Juan Soto in the first but retired Bichette and Lindor to escape the frame, and in the bottom half, the Blue Jays received a gift from the Mets.
George Springer dunked a ball into left field that bounced past Soto and reached the outfield wall. Centre-fielder A.J. Ewing then bobbled it, allowing Springer to score a Little League home run that put the Blue Jays on the board. Myles Straw later added a sacrifice fly in the fifth that stood up as the game-winner.
“It was funny after the fact that he was out of breath the next three innings,” said Yesavage of Springer’s dash.
“Like nine,” Springer quipped. “But yeah, I need to get this old body ready to run a little bit faster.”
Springer signed with the Blue Jays ahead of the 2021 campaign and witnessed the growth of Bichette, who was then only playing in his first full season. He described the range of feelings that came with having his former teammate in the building.
“It's awesome. It's sad. It's great. It is everything,” said Springer. “I love Bo and he was so good to me while he was here. He was so good for us as a team, for the organization, and he means the world to that locker room. So, to see him here today in another jersey, it was tough, but it's OK. I'm happy for him.”
And as for that touching moment in the first inning, Springer said he wasn’t surprised that Bichette needed Guerrero Jr. to nudge him from first base to remove his helmet.
“Bo is the complete opposite of that,” said Springer. “Bo doesn't want attention, he just wants to go play. And I'm glad he did it … I'm happy he acknowledged the fans and the fans acknowledge him. I know he's not gonna forget that.”
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