Hentgen throws out ceremonial first pitch
Former Blue Jay went 19-9 for World Series club in '93
TORONTO -- The Blue Jays tapped into a familiar vein of honoring their past during the on-field ceremonies prior to Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
The city of Toronto and Rogers Centre have not hosted a postseason series since the Jays beat the Phillies in dramatic fashion in the 1993 World Series, so it was fitting that the Jays called upon former starter Pat Hentgen, a staple of the club's '93 staff, to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Hentgen, who went 19-9 with a 3.87 ERA for the Jays in the regular season in 1993, won his only start in that year's Fall Classic, taking Game 3 in Philadelphia with six innings of one-run ball and six strikeouts.
On Friday, he got up on the Rogers Centre mound, fired a strike to Mark Buehrle and received a warm ovation from the sold-out crowd.
The "Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by Douglas Tranquada and "O Canada" was played by organist Ken Kaufman.