Two Toronto Blue Jays players stopped by a local games store in the city, to rip open some baseball card packs and buy a Wii console to play “Guitar Hero” with.
Gar Wan Toy, co-owner of the game shop located on Spadina Avenue near Kensington Market, tells CTV News Toronto in an interview that Myles Straw and Addison Barger walked into A&C Games on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old said he was in his office at the time when one of his employees, described as a massive Jays fan, pulled him out and told Toy members of the Jays were in the store. After coming out to see if he could help them with anything, Toy says they started chatting about baseball cards and what exactly he had in his wares.
“I was showing them singles, like loose baseball cards and (Straw) looked through it. He picked out a bunch of rookie cards, Blue Jays ones specifically,” Toy said.
The co-owner recounts them pulling cards for Bo Bichette, Kevin Gausman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Max Scherzer, the two players calling their teammates by their nicknames as they did, like “Bassy” for Chris Bassitt.
“He was gonna buy them, but I gave him some stuff for free,” Toy adds.
Then Toy showed them to the baseball card packs he had at the store, saying Straw chose to grab a couple boxes.
“After that, he said, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna open them now,’” Toy said. “I asked him, ‘Do you mind if I join you?’”
In a video posted on Instagram on Monday, the center fielder can be seen sitting with Barger at a table in the store, “ripping” a new pack open before sifting through the cards.
“Just looking for some rookies,” Straw can be heard saying in the background.
Toy says they were looking for playing cards of themselves but were unsuccessful in their search.
“They did get a jersey card for Elly De La Cruz and a bat card of Juan Soto,” Toy said, which are cards that contain game-used memorabilia from the designated player.
There were points where other customers recognized the two Jays players, Toy says, where they would snap selfies with the fans.
“A customer actually bought them some boxes full of baseball cards,” Toy said.
On top of leaving the store with baseball cards, Toy says they purchased a Wii console and guitar controllers, along with the game “Guitar Hero.”
It’s not the first time Blue Jays players graced the downtown Toronto games store.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recently named A&C Games as one of his favourite stores to visit when he has a day off in the city.
“He shouted us out, which was amazing,” Toy said. “Obviously, I want to see Vladdy come in, I missed him.”
Even though Guerrero Jr. said he was a fan of the store, Barger and Straw happened upon Toy’s store by chance.
“They didn’t even know Vladimir did a video with us in it. They just went to go get something to eat and walking by, (Straw) dragged Addison in,” Toy said.