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 to receive from the crowd.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Bichette said before pausing for 20 seconds while trying to contain the emotions that were 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 play his former club. 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 it play, 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.
Bichette’s return was a talking point in John Schneider’s office Monday afternoon. Schneider managed Bichette, who was drafted in the second round in 2016 by the Blue Jays, across various levels in the minors, as well as half of his seven MLB seasons in Toronto.
“It’s a little weird, actually,” Schneider said. “You’ve seen him play this season, you know, highlights and things like that, but he was a fixture not just here, but even for me in the minor-leagues and it’ll be weird to see him in a different uniform, live and in person.”
Bichette signed a three-year, $126-million deal with the Mets in January and said as the off-season unfolded, he “had a feeling” he wouldn’t be returning to the Blue Jays.
“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 for him to show the Blue Jays what they were missing, he took the high road.
“No, I mean, 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 three with no walks.
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 inning, and in the bottom half, the Blue Jays lineup 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 in the Little League home run that put the Blue Jays on the board.
Myles Straw added a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning that stood up as the game-winner as the Blue Jays improved to 40-45.