SportsBaseball

All the times former Blue Jays pitcher Stroman proudly repped Toronto (PHOTOS)

Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter
|
Jul 30 2019, 2:05 am
All the times former Blue Jays pitcher Stroman proudly repped Toronto (PHOTOS)

No professional athlete in Toronto embodied the spirit of the city like Marcus Stroman. The 28-year-old is a Long Island, New York native, but once he was drafted by the Blue Jays back in 2012, Stroman was all-in for “the Six.”

Want proof of his adoration for Toronto? The man tattooed the Toronto skyline on his body. In retrospect, now that he’s no longer a Blue Jay, that may not have been the best decision emblazoned in ink, but it showed Stroman’s passion for the T-Dot.

He repped the city more than any other player in recent memory becoming an ambassador for Toronto. Stroman’s stay with the Blue Jays was only six years long, but during his tenure in Toronto, he became a walking billboard for the city.

He showed his appreciation for his fans all across Canada shortly after being traded to the New York Mets on Sunday.

The Stro Show was often seen courtside at Toronto Raptors games and the NBA champs gave him some love on social media, thanking him for “always reppin’ our city, our country.”

The 28-year-old famously spearheaded an initiative to get all his Blue Jays teammates to wear Toronto Raptors gear before the Jays boarded the plane for their west coast road trip in June.

Stroman’s Raptors fandom can be traced all the way back to 2014, the year he made his big league debut. The Raptors sent their best wishes to Stroman after he suffered a torn ACL at the start of the 2015 season.

It was a little serendipitous that Stroman had the number six as his uniform number during his time in Toronto. It was a tribute to his late grandmother, but the number also had a secondary meaning as a link to the city he played in.

There was also a short time when Stroman combined with his teammate Aaron Sanchez to create Toronto’s famous area code.

The right-hander had his best season in 2017 with the Blue Jays, winning a Gold Glove and finishing eighth in the American League Cy Young voting. The team itself did not make the playoffs that year, but Stroman pitched like an ace.

You can’t be an honorary citizen of the T-Dot without getting your photo taken with Drake.

While some athletes might see it as an inconvenience to play north of the border, Stroman embraced the opportunity to play for an entire country.

If you’ve living in Toronto, it’s also an unofficial requirement to own at least one piece of Roots clothing in your closet.

And like many athletes who call Toronto home for at least half of the year, Stroman was happy to give back to the community by visiting Sick Kids Hospital.

Many Blue Jays fans are sad to see Stroman go, but the man left his mark on the city that’s tattooed across his chest. And the city of Toronto forever left its mark on him.

Ian HunterIan Hunter
+ Offside
+ Baseball

SUBSCRIBE TO THE HIVE

Get the latest news sent to your inbox and stay in the loop