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It was good-bye to the East Coast this week and hello to the Great Lakes region as we went to Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland.

Game #23: White Sox versus Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, June 21

We were making our way on foot through downtown Toronto, after having to park our oversized vehicle about a mile from the stadium. Our direct route was interrupted by an errant trip, throwing off our navigation. “Just follow the guy in the Blue Jays uniform” was our plan to find the stadium. Suddenly, it felt like we were in a spy movie, trying to follow the guy in a Blue Jays uniform, when dozens of people in Blue Jays uniforms show up, going in all directions. Finally, we asked one group of Jays-clad fans if they were going to the game. They said they were and agreed to let us stalk them the rest of the way. “Just look up,” was the leader’s advice. Oh yeah, the CN Tower – a needle-like tower that is more than 1,800 feet high – is right next to the home of the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays are definitely Canada’s team, now their only MLB team. Fans come from all over the country to cheer them on. Their attendance figures have been and continue to be staggering. The country fell in love with them in 1977 when Toronto and Seattle joined the American League as expansion teams. And they are still in the honeymoon stage.

They were the first team ever to top four million in attendance, and they did it three years in a row (1991-93). It didn’t hurt that they won two World Series titles in those years, posting back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993. Even though they haven’t been back to the World Series since, the fans keep on coming. Their attendance over the last three years (2.6 million in 2024, 3 million in 2023, and 2.6 million in 2022) is slightly better than the San Francisco Giants (2.6 million in 2024, 2.5 million in 2023, and 2.48 million in 2022). The Giants’ high attendance makes sense since the team has won three World Series titles in the last 15 years. The Blue Jays? It must be love!

The Skydome, now called the Rogers Centre, was visionary when it opened during the 1989 season. It was the first stadium with a retractable roof. Six other teams – Arizona, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Texas – included that feature when they built new stadiums. There is also an on-site hotel at Rogers Centre with rooms that open up to the stadium. Many ballparks – in Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas – saw this feature as an inspiration and now feature business/entertainment districts adjacent to the ballpark. With all the innovation, it’s hard to believe the Rogers Centre is now the sixth oldest ballpark in the major leagues.

Game atmosphere: Positive

The game is upbeat throughout with a lot of cheering and dancing. It’s clear the Blue Jays fans enjoy coming to the ballpark. Did I mention that they love their Jays? “I used to watch the Blue Jays with my grandpa when I was a boy in the mid-‘90s,” said Andrew Walker from Manitoba. “It has carried on where I’ve been watching them ever since. This is my first time to Toronto to see them. I watch them on TV a lot.” He is here with his wife of ONE WEEK, Jenalee Walker. “It’s our honeymoon trip,” said Jenalee, who was in total agreement with a baseball honeymoon. “I know how much he loves the Jays. And I love the atmosphere when you’re at a game in person.” I showed my American arrogance when I approached them for an interview. After explaining what we’re doing, I said I like to talk to locals at the game to get their thoughts on their home team and stadium. “Oh, we’re not local,” Andrew told me. “We’re from Manitoba.” “Well, you’re Canadian, right?” I countered. “That’s local enough for me.” Manitoba is almost 1,000 miles from Toronto. They took a two-hour flight to get to the game.

During pregame and periodically in between innings during the game, a DJ played upbeat music from her dedicated station in center field. A pair of dancers accompanied her, and sometimes other dancers would appear in other parts of the stadium. These were aerobic-style dance moves. And many fans were into it, copying the moves as best they could. This was evident as the cameras captured the crowd in those moments.

There were other occasions of interaction for the fans. They had their own song during the seventh-inning stretch, prior to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” It went like this: “Okay. Blue Jays. Let’s Play Ball.” It was performed with an echo built into it, and everyone seemed to know their part. “Okay. (Okay) Blue Jays. (Blue Jays). Let’s Play Ball.” The last part was in unison. Repeat about four times. Then, much like Boston sings “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth inning, Toronto sings “Hey Baby” by Bruce Channel after the top of the eighth. “Hey, hey baby. Ooh. Aah. I wanna know if you’ll be my girl.” The “Hey Baby” tradition started in 2015.

Yes, the fans are enjoying being at the game. But what about the baseball? Bo Bichette of the Blue Jays became the fourth player on our trip to hit the first pitch of the game for a home run. His 410-foot shot to center gave the Jays a lead they would not relinquish. “We have been doing well with the bats,” honeymooner Andrew Walker said. “The pitchers need to step it up. Pitching needs to smarten up.” The baserunning was plenty smart today with runners advancing from first to third twice in the three-run second inning – once on aggressive baserunning and once on a perfectly executed hit and run. And today the pitching did indeed smarten up as Jose Berrios pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one unearned run as the Jays coasted to a 7-1 victory.

In-game hosts were a plus at Rogers Centre, with the focus on live contests with fans. In a beat-the-clock contest, two fans each tried to stuff an empty suitcase with Jays gear – and zip shut the suitcase – within 20 seconds. The winner received round-trip airfare on WestJet. Both were awarded the Jays gear. In another contest, two friends played the “Know Your Bud” game. Each friend was given a whiteboard, and then Fan A was asked who was Fan B’s favorite Blue Jays player. If the answers matched, they won a Budweiser gift package. The answers – Vlad Guerrero Jr. – did match. I think Guerrero’s towering home run in the seventh inning may have influenced the decision. … When the umpires were shown during pregame congregating around home plate, the sound guy played the Law & Order Theme. I’m a sucker for subtle, light touches like that at a ballpark. … Wave alert. Sadly, the fans did a sustained wave at the top of the eighth inning, with the participants missing that the pitcher was striking out two batters during that time.

Open sesame! The roof was closed at the start of the game because there was a chance of a passing shower in the forecast. Then it began to open in the top of the fourth inning. It took about 22 minutes for all the moving panels to do their thing and open up the sky. Typically, the roof is either open or closed and stays that way for the duration of the game. The entire feel of the experience changed for the better with the addition of natural light.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

Our strategy regarding ballpark cuisine changed going into the home stretch, with only eight parks left. Now we’re looking at what is different and perhaps unique to a particular location. At Rogers Centre, for instance, we know what we’re looking at with applewood-smoked brisket nachos or loaded mac and cheese. Will it break into the trip’s Top 10? We can tell by looking at these two dishes that, no, they would not. Worth eating, yes. But we need to try other, new things, such as the hot maple and bacon footlong hot dog. We try it and, sadly, it disappoints. St. Louis has figured out that the hot dog needs to be wrapped in bacon. The one here has bacon bits sprinkled on top. Houston has figured out that maple syrup needs to be poured generously on the entire concoction. The one here has the hot dog dipped in hot maple syrup. The result is not enough bacon. Not enough maple. Maple-infused would be better. There are some other wild hot dog options at Chungchun Rice Hot Dog. They sell a beef and chicken hot dog topped with potato called the Gamsung hot dog.

The other local delicacy is Poutine (pronounced poo-teen). It is French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy. Cheese curds are better than they sound. They are fresh, unaged pieces of cheese known for their mild, milky flavor. The ballpark poutine is traditional poutine, as listed above. We found there are entire restaurants, called Poutineries, that feature only varieties of poutine. The traditional poutine serves as the base – much like a pizza’s crust, sauce and cheese serve as its base – then throw on whatever topping you want. Smoke’s Poutinerie is all over Canada, and we tried one on our way out of the country. Smoke’s features the following poutine options: butter chicken, chicken inferno, Philly cheesesteak, Korean BBQ, prime beef deluxe, and more. It is salty, and the fries are mushy. Smoke’s opened a couple of locations in the U.S., but they did not last, mostly because we like our fries crispy! But since it’s a Canadian thing, it might be wise for Rogers Centre to partner with Smoke’s to bring the poutine variety into the stadium.

Club hospitality: Positive

Toronto provided good seats – 20 rows from the field, just to the left of home plate. There was limited parking, but it was garage parking, so it was moot for us with the Sprinter. We grabbed cheap parking on SpotHero, a 17-minute walk to the stadium through downtown Toronto.

Game details: Blue Jays win 7-1. Attendance 41,488. Time of game: 2:08.

Helpful tips: There is limited underground parking around the stadium, but plenty of parking options nearby, from $10 to $43 Canadian, which is the U.S. equivalent of almost free to $25. … Bag policy – Small purses and knapsacks (i.e, backpacks) are permitted but must be smaller than 16”x16”x8”. … Non-alcoholic beverages in plastic bottles of 660 ml (about 22 oz.) or less are okay. Outside food is permitted as long as it is wrapped, bagged or left inside a container.

You don’t see that every day: A saxophone player, perhaps a performer at Toronto’s International Jazz Festival, which was scheduled for June 20 to June 29, was jamming away inside the stadium before the game started.

Game #24: Athletics versus Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, June 24

The Tigers will always have a special place in my heart because I grew up in southeast Michigan. In the summer of 1967, I watched on television as race riots turned downtown Detroit into a fire-ravaged city of shattered glass, looting, and broken dreams. I was 8 years old and lived about 16 miles from the destruction. The National Guard was activated, and U.S. Army troops were called in. Army trucks drove through my neighborhood. Fast forward to the summer of 1968 – just one year later. I started paying attention to baseball in the fall of 1967 when the Tigers were in a pennant race but lost on the last day of the season to give Boston its ticket to the World Series. The 1968 season was the first season I paid attention to every Tigers game, listening to most of them on the radio and always reading the summaries in the next day’s newspaper. My mom took me to a Tigers double-header against the A’s on my birthday, where I got to see Denny McLain win his 16th game of the season. McLain went on to win 31 games that year. The Tigers easily won the American League pennant, then came back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Baseball unified the city of Detroit with both white players (McLain, Mickey Lolich, Al Kaline) and black players (Willie Horton, Gates Brown, Earl Wilson) playing key roles.

The Tigers were one of eight charter members when the American League formed in 1901. Ty Cobb was the team’s first superstar. He won a lot of batting titles, but he never won a World Series title. In fact, in 124 years of playing baseball in the American League, the Tigers have won only four World Series titles (1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984). Tributes to these four teams are scattered throughout the concourse area. There are also statues along the left center wall of all-time great Tigers Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser, Horton and Kaline.

“I think Detroit is one of the five best sports cities in the country,” said Lucas Inman from Grand Rapids, Michigan. “The Tigers are a huge part of the fabric of this city. I went to the old Tigers Stadium dozens of times. I wish they could have restored that and just found a way to keep that going. I think a lot of the ballparks built in this era, they don’t really distinguish themselves from each other. For me to describe Comerica – it’s fine; I like it. I’m not blown away by it. But the old Tigers Stadium with the outfield bleacher upper deck hanging over the outfield, the flagpole in the outfield, the light blue paint on the outside of it – it was just an iconic venue.” Comerica Park opened in 2000. The 25 years since have seen a revitalization of Detroit’s downtown area, including the completion of the home of the Lions, Ford Field, in 2002. Detroit’s population has increased over the last two years after decades of decline.

Game atmosphere: Positive

For the third time this trip, we had the pleasure of watching the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal, take the mound for the Tigers. Skubal is 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA (15 ER/85.1 IP) in his last 13 starts dating to April 8, featuring a 13.38 K/BB ratio during that span. We’ve seen two of those games. With all these numbers in mind, it was shocking to see the game start with a five-pitch walk, and then a two-run home run on the first pitch to the A’s Brent Rooker. There was a stunned silence over the crowd. But the Tigers fans got to make some noise when Kerry Carpenter tied it with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. It was déjà vu in the second inning as light-hitting Denzel Clarke hit a two-run homer off Skubal, putting the A’s up 4-2. Clarke was batting .190 with one home run on the year.

There was concern but confidence among the team and the fans in the stands. That probably comes with having the best record in baseball. Skubal settled down, allowing no more runs in four more innings of work. And the Tiger bats never let up, scoring five in the third, two in the seventh, and two more in the eighth in the 11-4 win.

Wheeee! | Photo: Trepiak

Comerica Park has an open view in centerfield and right field where fans can see the nearby Detroit skyline, including Ford Field, where the Lions play. … There is a carousel of decorative tigers in the Big Cat Court area and a 50-foot ferris wheel with cars shaped like baseballs elsewhere in the stadium. Rides on both of these attractions are $2 or free on Sundays for those 14 years and under. … It was 85 degrees at game time, which was at 8 p.m., delayed for 100 minutes due to earlier thunderstorms in the area. … This is the third park to feature a special song at the end of the top of the eighth. This one is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, featured for its lyric “born and raised in South Detroit.” Technically, there is no such place as South Detroit, but it still works as a fun sing-along song for the Detroit fans. … There are three Chevy vehicles parked along the outfield concourse. Two of them are on each side of the fountain in the center field. The fountain of “liquid fireworks” didn’t work during this game.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

The star of the show for us was the jerk chicken and mango wrap at Breadless. It consists of oven-roasted jerk chicken, peach mango salsa, no-sugar-added BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mango slices, and onions wrapped in Swiss chard. It was fresh and tangy with some heat. This one is making the Top 10. Breadless also offers turkey-avocado or spicy falafel wraps and a rice bowl with chicken.

Eat at Berts is the pit barbecue on site at Comerica with a full menu featuring a loaded mac bowl, BBQ nachos, BBQ rib platter and an “oh my god” burger. We tried the burger, referred to as the “oh my gosh burger” by the worker who took our order. It’s one pound of ground sirloin topped with slow-smoked pulled pork, grilled onions and barbecue sauce. The sirloin patty was an inch-and-a-half thick. It had just the right amount of sauce and had to be eaten with a fork. I needed more pulled pork, and the sirloin patty had the consistency of meatloaf and was not juicy. If you want a burger, we suggest going with the smashburger instead.

We also tried the Motor City melt at Blue Moon Bistro. It’s a mozzarella-stick sandwich on sourdough garlic bread with marinara and provolone added to the mix. If you are one who always orders mozzarella sticks as an appetizer at restaurants, this one is for you. The Bistro is a grab-and-go venue, so this one suffered from a lack of freshness.

Another barbecue option is the “put me in coach” at Slows Bar BQ: Shredded brisket soaked in Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, topped with sliced onion and dill pickles. All in all, an excellent variety of food choices that will definitely fill you up.

Club hospitality: Positive

The team provided field-level tickets, 33 rows from the field down the right field line. Game notes were emailed prior to the game. (Yes! I love game notes and always use something from them in our stories.) We borrowed my cousin’s car to take advantage of the VIP garage parking provided by the team.

Game details: Tigers win 11-4. Attendance 22,929. Time of game: 2:32.

Helpful tips: Bag policy – Comerica Park has the most stringent bag policy of any park. No bags, wallets or purses larger than 4”x6” are allowed. … Bottled water is allowed if it is in a single, clear, factory-sealed, crushable, disposable, plastic container of 20 ounces or less. … Outside food is not allowed. … Parking is available in various nearby lots and garages with prices ranging from $10 to $80.

You don’t see that every day: Right fielder Wenceel Perez threw out two runners in the same inning. In the top of the seventh, Skubal was replaced by Chase Lee with the Tigers leading 7-4. The leadoff hitter for the A’s, Tyler Soderstrom, tried to stretch a single to deep right field into a double and was cut down by a perfect throw from Perez. After another single, Jacob Wilson singled to right and also tried to make it a double. He, too, was gunned down by Perez. So instead of a 7-5 score and runners on first and third with no outs, the A’s scored no one and had a runner at third with two outs. Before this game, Perez had recorded just one assist in more than 1,000 innings as an outfielder.

Game #25: Blue Jays versus Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, June 26

The Guardians have the longest active title drought in Major League Baseball. It’s been 76 seasons since they won a World Series title in 1948. They also won it in 1920. Like the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland (formerly Indians, now Guardians) was one of eight charter members of the American League in 1901. They have just two titles in 124 seasons of baseball. But they were so very, very close in other seasons. In the 2016 World Series, Cleveland was up 3 games to 1 against the Cubs, then lost three straight games. In the 1997 World Series, Cleveland went to Game 7 against the Marlins, and led 2-1 going into the ninth inning. The Marlins tied it, then won in 11 innings, 3-2. “Being a Cleveland baseball fan means having your heart ripped out of you,” said Pete Tietjen, who was wearing a Cleveland Indians jersey and a Cleveland Guardians cap. “Growing up in the area, I’ve always been a huge Cleveland sports fan. I’ve always loved the Indians. My dad’s dad had season tickets. My dad had season tickets. I was four years old in 1976 when I first started coming to games. We went through a lot of down years in those days.” From 1976 to 1993, the team had three winning seasons in 18 years.

Everything changed when Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) opened in 1994. Cleveland was 66-47 when a strike ended the 1994 season. Then, in 1995, the team won 100 games and went to the World Series for the first time since 1954. The team sold out 455 consecutive home games from 1995 to 2001.

“It’s been exciting since the new ballpark has been built,” Tietjen said. “I came here with my dad at the old Municipal Stadium when they had only 2,000 people here. Coming here with my dad is always one of my favorite memories. So I try to bring my kids. And I hope my kids will be able to pass along the enjoyment of watching baseball to their kids. I just had two new grandkids, and they will be coming to games soon.”

Photo: Trepiak

1920 was both a banner year and a somber year for the Cleveland Indians. Their shortstop, Ray Chapman, died after he was hit in the head by a pitch by Yankee Carl Mays on Aug. 17. The Indians led the league at the time but had a tough time staying focused after the tragedy. The White Sox were able to catch them in the standings, but then in September, the Black Sox scandal came to light, and the eight indicted White Sox players were suspended by the team owner. The Indians pulled away and won the pennant by two games. They were definitely the sentimental favorite in the best-of-9 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Indians won the series five games to two.

Game atmosphere: Positive

We came away from the game almost feeling pampered because everyone was extremely nice. Staff personnel, concession workers, ushers, and fans. Everyone just wanted to help. The fact that we had “media” credentials hanging from our necks may have helped, but they did seem genuine. The Guardians, also called the Guards, were a bit too nice with their guests – beanball aside – as four errors by Cleveland contributed to the Blue Jays’ 6-0 victory. A strong outing by starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (seven strikeouts, no walks, three hits, two earned runs in six innings) went for naught, giving him his fourth straight loss. The Guardian bats never got going. In the case of Carlos Santana, his bat never got swinging. He struck out three times looking, twice against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman, who threw eight innings of two-hit ball.

The Cleveland fans never had a chance to become engaged. That is, until it was time for the traditional song in the middle of the eighth inning. “Hang on Sloopy” by the McCoys has taken over the entire state of Ohio. It’s featured at Guardians games but is also used at other sporting events in the state, especially at Ohio State University, where it is frequently performed by the Ohio State Marching Band. It was even officially recognized as Ohio’s official rock song in 1985 by the state assembly. The fans add an O-H-I-O chant during the refrain, like this: “Hang on Sloopy; Sloopy hang on. O. H. I. O. Hang on Sloopy; Sloopy hang on. O. H. I. O.”

We saw our second hot dog mascot race. They call it the Hot Dog Derby, and Onion took the win over Ketchup, Mustard and Spicy. … There is an open view of the downtown skyline in the outfield, including the Rocket Arena – home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers – tucked into the left field corner. … The scoreboard had a dedicated place for the pitch count, which made me happy. … Most stadiums have the vendors on the inside concourse where fans have to leave the seating area. Progressive Field features vendors that are open to the field as well as the concourse area. The field side is the “grab and go” side. It gave a more open feel to the park in general.

We were able to do a walkabout before the game to check out Terrace Hall (details under the Ballpark Cuisine section), Heritage Park, and the Carnegie Club. Heritage Park is located in the center field area and is a tribute to the greatest players in franchise history. It was created in 2007 and is split into two levels. The upper level features plaques of players who are in both the team Hall of Fame and the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The lower level is dedicated to historical moments and players who are in only the team Hall of Fame. … The Carnegie Club is a members-only club we crashed with our media credentials. The seats are right behind home plate, but the club is mostly about the premium bar and gourmet menu options that are all inclusive in this climate-controlled, upscale indoor space. On the menu today was roast lamb, penne pasta and meatballs with basil, pretzel hot dogs and a variety of sliders. We were just there to look, but we may have grabbed a cookie and bottled water on our way out! Tickets in this section don’t seem to be available on the secondary market.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

Gigantic “Bam Bam” turkey legs, Froot Loops on a hot dog, and spaghetti pizza? Is this a baseball game or a cartoon? Fortunately, it’s very real for those who like to try something new for their ballpark cuisine. And that, of course, describes us! You can get the gigantic turkey leg only at Terrace Hall, a new space this year, located on Level 4 in left field. It’s open to all fans and has escalators from the field level to get you there. There is a two-level area overlooking the field, one indoors and one outdoors. The turkey legs have been given the nickname “Bam Bam turkey legs” by the food staff because they are reminiscent of what you might see in a Fred Flintstone cartoon. It’s a smoked turkey leg drumstick glazed with barbecue sauce and served with an Alabama white barbecue sauce. They prepare up to 100 of them each game, and sometimes sell out. “I’ve always been a turkey leg fan,” said Gonzo Garcia, who makes a point to get one when he comes to a Guardians game. “They put a great barbecue sauce on it. It’s juicy and messy. Grab a lot of napkins. It’s a lot of meat. It’s all you need to get. One and done.” Gonzo let me have the first bite of his. Thumbs up!

Froot Loops: The hot dog amplifier. | Photo: Trepiak

Happy Dog is home to the slider dog – an all-beef hot dog with Froot Loops, pimento mac and cheese and bacon. This is surprisingly good. Where Bobby Flay has added potato chips to add crunch to his hamburgers, Happy Dog has found its secret ingredient to add sweetness and crunch to its hot dog – Froot Loops. It’s a crazy combination that really works. It makes you wonder how many breakfast cereals they tried before settling on Froot Loops? “It’s our best seller,” said vendor worker Krystal Parnin. “People like the sweetness of the Froot Loops combined with the tanginess of the pimento mac and cheese.” And both are a good complement to the hot dog. The slider dog can be improved in two ways. First, make it a footlong dog. Second, lay the Froot Loops down on the bun first, then place the hot dog on top of it, then spread the mac and cheese. Krystal, we know you’re reading this! Pass it on to the head honchos. Even as is, the slider dog has a chance to make our Top 5 list of hot dogs.

You read correctly at the start of the food summary. Spaghetti and meatball pizza is sold by Dante’s Inferno. “It came back by popular demand,” said food worker Taira Botz. “It’s really filling. Good bang for your buck.” We had to try it. It was fun to eat, but it’s more of a novelty pizza than an award-winner. There were plenty of meatballs and, at first, I was concerned at how few spaghetti noodles there were. But as each slice went down, we realized it didn’t need any more noodles.

Other food options at Progressive Field include shredded brisket mac and cheese at Throwing Smoke Barbecue, the guardian burger (hamburger patty with capicola, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, banana peppers, bistro sauce and Italian vinaigrette) at Terrace Hall, and a brat burger at the Brew Kettle.

Club hospitality: Positive Cleveland is one of the top teams in regards to taking care of us. Seats to the game were great, 34 rows from the field between home plate and the first base dugout. Most importantly, they were in the shade, protecting us from 88-degree heat (seemed like 95, according to the heat index). We received Concourse Media Credentials, giving us early entry and access to places such as the Carnegie Club. Game notes were emailed as the game started. (Yes!) And parking would have been provided if the Sprinter could fit in a garage.

Game details: Blue Jays win 6-0. Attendance 26,217. Time of game: 2:37.

Helpful tips: Bag policy – regular-sized purses are okay and bags under 16”x16”x8” are permitted. … A single, clear, factory-sealed bottle of water that is 20 ounces or less is allowed. Outside food is also okay. … Parking is $40 a few blocks around the stadium. But much cheaper options are available about a half mile from the stadium using SpotHero. We got ours for $5.

You don’t see that every day: Two players were hit intentionally by pitches and both left the game to get X-rayed. Both were the best hitter for their respective teams. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Jays was hit in the right forearm with first base open in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Jose Ramirez of the Guardians was hit in the same spot on the first pitch of the inning. Both managers were warned by the umpires to cease and desist, or there would be ejections. Both Guerrero and Ramirez stayed in the game to run the bases after being hit, then left to be evaluated. Both X-rays were negative, thankfully. Guerrero was also hit by a pitch the night before in a game where he homered.

Tom Trepiak is the former sports information director at Humboldt State and a member of the Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Hall of Fame.