Erik Swanson does not know much about Toronto, but he knows this: it’s loud. Very, very loud.
The Blue Jays’ recently acquired relief pitcher appeared on Sportsnet 590 The Fan with Ben Ennis and Blake Murphy on Monday and said he could not get over the noise generated at Rogers Centre during the Seattle Mariners’ wild-card series in Toronto last month.
“The first thing I noticed when we started playing there is how outrageously loud that place is,” said Swanson, who was part of a deal that saw outfielder Teoscar Hernandez head to Seattle last week. “And I noticed that from when I was there in ’19 as well. Having a playoff game there was one of the coolest environments I’ve played in.
“We went to Houston right after and I didn’t think Houston compared to Toronto as far as environment goes.”
Swanson, 29, who is from Fargo, N.D., was out hunting when the trade happened. Spotty cellphone coverage made informing the right-hander about the deal a challenge. Eventually, Mariners GM Justin Hollander got through and “got the point across.”
Swanson admitted that the deal caught him off guard and he “wasn’t quite sure what to think about it at first.” After a chat with his wife, he got excited about the change.
“I’ve played in Toronto twice now. My first time back in ’19 and then obviously for the wild card this year,” said Swanson. “I love the area. I haven’t had a ton of time to explore it, but for the little time I’ve spent there, I’ve said it both times I’ve been there, I really do like the Toronto area. It almost kind of feels like home a little bit."
Two players that could help his transition are starter Kevin Gausman and closer Jordan Romano. Gausman because Swanson admired how he developed his splitter so much that he developed one of his own, and Ramono because of the chance to pitch ahead of him.
“Obviously, I’ve seen Romano from afar and the guy is electric,” Swanson said. “To be next to him and part of that bullpen is super exciting.”
Maybe in a playoff game, with a packed Rogers Centre all cheering for him instead.
“Definitely looking forward to that and being on the other side of it.”
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