Joey Votto wasted no time leaving his mark, hitting a home run on the very first pitch he faced as a member of his hometown Toronto Blue Jays.
In his debut spring training game with Toronto, the seasoned first baseman drove a 392-foot homer to left-center field off Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler in the opening inning on Sunday in Clearwater, Florida.
Although there was some discussion over whether the ball cleared the fence, leading Joey Votto to momentarily pause at second base, the umpires ultimately determined it was a home run, allowing him to continue his journey around the bases.
Votto’s desire to return home played a significant role in his decision to join the Toronto Blue Jays. He recently signed a minor league contract with them after spending 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.
The 40-year-old Votto entered free agency last autumn following the conclusion of a $251.5 million, 12-year deal with the Reds, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2002 amateur draft from Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto.
As a six-time All-Star and the recipient of the 2010 NL MVP award, Votto boasts a career batting average of .294 with 356 home runs, 1,144 RBIs, and an impressive .409 on-base percentage across 2,056 games. Cincinnati chose not to exercise his $20 million option for the 2024 season.