Blue Jays pitchers bond over meals together

As the Toronto Blue Jays prepared for a three-game interleague series in New York against the Mets this weekend their starting rotation did some additional research: looking for the best restaurants.

TORONTO – As the Toronto Blue Jays prepared for a three-game interleague series in New York against the Mets this weekend their starting rotation did some additional research: looking for the best restaurants.

Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, Alek Manoah and José Berríos make a point of going out for meals together as often as they can, whether it’s in the cafeteria at Rogers Centre or at well-reviewed restaurants on the road. Although they never play at the same time, it’s a kind of cohesiveness that they all value.

“You get to know guys a little bit better and get to know their personalities and how they are in the real world,” said Gausman by his locker at Rogers Centre. “We all like food so we usually go to good restaurants and that’s a plus too.”

Bassitt, who sits next to Gausman in the Blue Jays clubhouse, immediately warmed to the topic when he heard his teammate talking about the rotation’s meals together.

“We have a great group of starters here that are going to be here for a while. I think we all just genuinely like each other and want to spend time with each other,” said Bassitt. “That’s kind of basically it, we’re bonding because we want to hang out with each other rather than order room service in your room by yourself.

“It’s a lot more fun to go out and hang with Manoah, Berrios, Kikuchi, and all those guys. I’d rather spend time with them than spend time by myself.”

That fondness is evident around the ballpark.

All five starters sit in a row in the home clubhouse at Rogers Centre. They watch each other’s bullpen sessions. After the starter warms up, the pitchers on their off day walk with him from Toronto’s bullpen to the dugout.