TORONTO – The first standing ovation came before first pitch as Max Scherzer took the field and Floor Seats by A$AP Ferg began to blare, the next bottom one when George Springer walked to the plate to the familiar Butterfly Effect by Travis Scott.

More followed after Springer doubled to open the third, was run for, and made the long walk back to the dugout as 42,131 at Rogers Centre feted him; when Scherzer told manager John Schneider with two outs in the seventh that he wasn’t coming out of the game, again when he came out for the eighth and finally when, at 114 pitches, he exited after a leadoff walk, walked off the mound, hugged his way through the dugout, with Springer at the end, and hopped into the stands to share the moment with his family.

They were beautiful goodbyes to one of the best pitchers ever, a true legend of the sport, and to a franchise icon who spent six transformative years with the Toronto Blue Jays after signing a then-club-record........

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