Myles Straw injury reaction proves how beloved he is beyond Blue Jays clubhouse

The series opener between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks were full of guys getting bumps and bruises. There were five hit batters and a play in centre field that resulted in the removal of someone who has become a clubhouse leader for the Blue Jays. Not only has Myles Straw become a well liked teammate in Toronto, it’s a reputation he carried over from his days with the Cleveland Guardians.  

Straw was chasing down a flyball hit by former Cleveland teammate Josh Naylor in the fifth inning on Tuesday, when he slammed hard into the wall and struggled to get back up. As Naylor reached second base and watched Straw writhe in discomfort, there was an unmistakable look of concern on Naylor’s face.

Myles Straw injury reaction proves how beloved he is beyond Blue Jays clubhouse

Straw and Naylor had been teammates for four seasons in Cleveland and had become very close friends. Naylor told reporters after the game, “I'm very thankful for the relationship we have, so I hated to see him go down. He's like a brother to me, so I just want to make sure he was all right. I got to know his daughter very well [in Cleveland], my wife got to know his wife very well. They're really good friends. So I just don't want to see him hurt, you know. I mean, it's the worst thing with someone on the field to see them hurt. I've been through tremendous pain on the field, and I just wanted to make sure he was all right.”

So as the coaches, training staff and most of the Blue Jays infield jogged out to centre field to check on Straw, so to did Naylor.

“He was apologetic to Myles, and they played together,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider after the game. “We didn't really say much. He just said, 'Hey man, hope you're OK,' basically, which, you know, pretty cool. You never really see an opposing runner go all the way out to center. Canadians have nice manners.”

Naylor, born in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside of Toronto, displayed that Canadian stereotype proudly in that moment. A gesture that not only echoed how much respect he had for Straw, but how much Straw’s leadership has been a staple of his career.

While Straw wasn’t available for the second game of the series, he appears to have avoided a serious injury and is listed as day-to-day. That could change within the next day or so and he could require an stint on the injured list, but for now, everyone in the Blue Jays clubhouse is breathing a sigh of relief as they’ll get to have one of their most beloved teammates still around in the clubhouse.

"I'm having the most fun I probably had in my career," Straw said in an interview with Sportsnet back in April. “I'm happy to be here no matter what, whether I'm playing or not. I look forward to helping the team win that day and it's just fun. It's fun to be around these guys every day.”