Bichette emotional in return to Toronto: Gave Jays 'everything I had'

New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette stepped inside Rogers Centre's first-base dugout Monday, getting a view that he probably hadn't seen before.

"It feels different, for sure," the onetime Toronto Blue Jays star said before facing his former team for the first time, according to SNY. "But I'm excited to get out here and play some ball and see some guys. But it's definitely odd."

Bichette spent his first eight big-league seasons starring for the Blue Jays, who drafted him in the second round in 2016. He rose through Toronto's farm system alongside close friend Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the pair helped the franchise return to prominence in the 2020s. The union ended when Bichette signed a three-year, $126-million contract with the Mets this past offseason.

There didn't seem to be much acrimony surrounding his departure from the organization, and Bichette became emotional when asked about how Toronto fans might receive him Monday night.

"I don't know what to expect. I think that I ... I gave it everything I had, so I just hope that's appreciated," he said.

Any thoughts of a rude welcome were quickly put to rest when Blue Jays fans greeted him with two rousing ovations: first following a pregame tribute video, and then before his first-inning at-bat.

"It's nice to know you meant a lot to people," Bichette said of the reception following his Mets' 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays, per Sportsnet. "This city meant a lot to me, spent a lot of years here, grew up here. So it felt good."

During his time in Toronto, Bichette made two All-Star teams, led the AL in hits twice, and helped the Blue Jays reach the playoffs four times. A knee injury last September forced him to miss most of the Blue Jays' playoff run, but he was able to return and play in the World Series.

Despite shifting to second base - a position he'd never played in the majors - and being slowed by his injured knee, Bichette went 8-for-23 with six RBIs in last year's classic showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers. His three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 put Toronto in position to win the series. Bichette's final at-bat in a Blue Jays uniform was a ninth-inning single that put the potential series-winning run on base.

"You dream of getting to that situation and that opportunity. I'm so grateful that we had that experience and got there, but you dream of winning it," Bichette said of Game 7. "I don't know how many times I've replayed it, but it comes to mind every once in a while."

Toronto snapped a six-game losing streak with its win over the Mets.