Blue Jays accessorize with pink on Mother's Day

BOSTON -- Several of the Blue Jays donned pink for Sunday afternoon's game against the Red Sox as a way to celebrate Mother's Day.

J.P. Arencibia, Jose Bautista, Emilio Bonifacio, Adam Lind and Melky Cabrera were among those who wore pink sweatbands and/or batting gloves to promote breast cancer awareness.

The MLB initiative started in 2006 and continues to grow each season, with a large group of players doing their part to drum up support.

"I think, obviously, it's great to pay tribute, not to just my mom but the meaning behind the color for breast cancer," Arencibia said. "There's a lot of people in this world that unfortunately have to deal with that, and anything we can do to help out and bring awareness to it is necessary."

Arencibia's mother was there for his first Major League game -- a two-homer performance against the Rays on Aug. 7, 2010 -- and she has been a frequent visitor to Rogers Centre over the past few years.

This Mother's Day started just like any other for Arencibia, as he made sure to check in with his mom before taking the field for Sunday's series finale.

"I called her in the morning; she was getting ready to watch the game. It was good to get a win for her," Arencibia said after his club's 12-4 victory. "I'll call her again in a little bit and see how her day is going."

Right-hander Chad Jenkins was able to give his mother a special gift earlier in the week, when he received a surprise promotion to the Majors. He got the start on Sunday after Brandon Morrow was scratched from his scheduled outing because of soreness in his upper back.

For Jenkins, Mother's Day served as a welcome distraction in the morning prior to making his season debut.

"I think it hit me this morning. I woke up and called my mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day," Jenkins said. "We weren't even talking about baseball. I wished her happy Mother's Day, told her I loved her. Then I hung up the phone and I was like, 'Oh, I have to pitch at Fenway in about three hours.' That's when it really hit me. I started to get a little nervous."

Jenkins responded to the pressure just fine, allowing just two runs on seven hits while striking out two en route to his first victory of the year.