CLEARWATER, Fla. — Joey Votto sure knows how to make an instant impression, going deep on the first pitch he faced as a member of his hometown Toronto Blue Jays.
The veteran first baseman lined a 392-foot homer to left-center off Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler in the first inning Sunday in Clearwater, Florida, in his inaugural spring training game with Toronto.
Granted, there was some debate about whether the ball actually went out, and Votto momentarily stopped at second base. But the umpires ruled it was a homer and he continued on his way to home.
A chance to go home is what led Votto to Toronto in the first place; he agreed to a minor league contract with the Blue Jays this month after spending 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.
The 40-year-old Votto became a free agent last fall after the end of a $251.5 million, 12-year contract with the Reds, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto.
A six-time All-Star and the 2010 NL MVP, Votto has a .294 average with 356 homers, 1,144 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage in 2,056 games. Cincinnati declined his $20 million option for 2024.
