Bo Bichette holds back tears while he speaks to the media on his return to Toronto before his New York Mets faced the Blue Jays on Monday night.Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Eyes rimmed with tears, Bo Bichette sat in the visiting team’s dugout on Monday at Rogers Centre. He didn’t expect his return to Toronto to be so emotional but as he spoke to a gathering of journalists his eyes kept tearing up. Several times he paused while giving answers to collect himself.
Bichette is gone now to the New York Mets but he most likely won’t be forgotten in these environs.
“I don’t know what to expect,” he said before the Blue Jays topped the Mets 2-1, taking the first of a three-game series. He started to cry. It is the first time he has been back since he signed a three-year, US$126-million contract with the Mets.
“I gave it everything I had. I just hope that’s appreciated.”
Bichette was drafted by Toronto a decade ago and wore a Blue Jays uniform for seven seasons. He was the Sundance Kid to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Butch Cassidy, led the American League in hits twice and was selected an All-Star two times as well.
Before he went the free agency route he had 111 home runs and drove in 437 runs. In the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he batted .348 while still recovering from a serious knee injury and blasted a three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in the seventh game.
“He was playing on one leg,” Toronto manager John Schneider said a few hours before Monday’s game.
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His teammates and the team’s fans adored him and they still do. They showered him with cheers when he was introduced and gave him a standing ovation when his years of service were honoured in a pregame video.
It ended with, “Thank You, Bo.”
So yes, he was appreciated.
“It was always him and Vladdy,” Ernie Clement, the Toronto second baseman, said. “They were always our offence. Bo was such a staple for us. He was just awesome.
“I can’t imagine anyone would have anything negative to say about him.”
Bichette acknowledges the Toronto crowd as he steps up for his first at-bat on Monday.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Bichette started the season poorly in New York but has gone a tear lately. He entered Monday evening’s contest with a .254 batting average, 10 home runs and a team-best 46 RBIs.
Over 23 games dating back to June 3, he has hit .362 with seven doubles, one triple, five homers and 17 runs driven in.
“It’s a little weird to see him in a different uniform,” Schneider said. “He was a fixture not just for me here but in the minor leagues as well.
“He always wanted to be the best person on the field. He is an unbelievable competitor. He just wanted to beat you in everything he did.”
When Schneider reminisces, he pictures Bichette swatting that long home run that gave Toronto the lead over the Dodgers in Game 7. The Blue Jays of course went on to defeat in extra innings that night, but that three-run shot rocked the Rogers Centre.
“I remember Vladdy waiting for him for a hug at home plate,” Schneider said.
Like it was supposed to be.
When Bichette hit his three-run homer in Game 7 of last year's World Series, it was his close friend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. waiting to greet him at home plate.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
“I’m so grateful we had that experience and got there, but you dream of winning it,” Bichette said. “I don’t know how many times I’ve replayed it, but it comes to mind every once in a while.”
He sat there in the dugout surrounded by a crush of broadcasters and sportswriters. He is soft-spoken so they all pushed forward to make sure they heard him.
A few became emotional as they listened.
“It feels different for sure,” he said of being back in Toronto. He didn’t take a walk around downtown before he showed up at the ballpark. He just couldn’t do it. “This will be an opportunity for me to reflect on good times,” he said.
There were far more good – or great – than bad.
Bichette and Guerrero came up through the club’s minor-league system together and became dear friends. They hadn’t chatted yet on Monday but Bichette looked forward to it.
“It will be good,” Bichette said. “We went through it all together. I’ve seen him at his lowest, he’s seen me at mine. Vice versa, too, at our highest. From teammates as kids to ...”
His eyes welled up again. He couldn’t finish.
Bichette views a tribute video from his time as a Toronto Blue Jay prior to first-inning action on Monday at the Rogers Centre.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press