Lourdes Gurriel Jr. walked through the Blue Jays clubhouse after Saturday’s game, inspecting the ball closely and tossing it in the air before proudly placing it in the middle of the shelf above his locker for all to see. It had been retrieved from the Rogers Centre’s left-field seats after the seventh inning of Toronto’s 7-4 loss to the Texas Rangers, launched there by Gurriel for the 24-year-old’s first big-league home run. The no-doubter left his bat at 106.7 miles per hour and was projected to travel 417 feet, according to Statcast. Standing at home plate after the blast was designated hitter Kendrys Morales, a fellow Cuban and Gurriel’s mentor, who offered a high-five. “I’ve seen (the hazing ritual) before, I’ve seen it with other guys, but they made me feel really happy when they all came to cheer me after,” Gurriel said, through translator Josue Peley.

Source: thestar April 28, 2018 23:26 UTC