Rookie Rowdy Tellez reunited with father after emotional Blue Jays debut
TORONTO — Rowdy Tellez stood in the arrivals section of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport past midnight, waiting to tell his dad Greg the great news: he’d hit a double in his first Major League at bat, driving in a run in the Blue Jays’ 10-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays earlier Wednesday night.
The younger Tellez had hoped to surprise his father, but instead his dad greeted him a warm embrace after his cell phone had been filled with texts and calls before even taking off from their hometown of Sacramento, Calif.
“When he saw me he started tearing up a little bit and gave me a big hug. He was really excited,” said Tellez in Toronto’s clubhouse on Thursday. “It’s something that me and him worked for, for a long time. All the hours we spent working at it, all the time he spent after work when he was tired.
“He did everything for me. He’s always been there for me and did everything baseball related with me forever. First coach, first everything.”