Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman: Toronto fans should boo David Price

Brandon Schlager

Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman: Toronto fans should boo David Price image

Old Blue Jays teammates Marcus Stroman and David Price are friends turned natural enemies by virtue of the jerseys they'll pull over their heads in 2016.

According to Stroman, that's plenty reason to welcome Price back to Rogers Centre with some of the hostility made famous in the postseason when he returns to Toronto next season as a member of the rival Red Sox.

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“I think it’d be cool if they booed him,” Stroman told Sportsnet.ca on Wednesday. “He’s on a division rival — you have to boo him. There’s no friends when it comes to competition.”

Price, who signed a landmark seven-year, $217 million contract with the Red Sox this offseason, took the 24-year-old Stroman under his wing when he arrived in Toronto before the trade deadline. The two are buddies, keeping in touch daily and trading friendly barbs over Twitter.

This will only ramp up the good-spirited rivalry between the two.

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Now Stroman will be counted on to fill Price's shoes atop Toronto's rotation. He might even find himself starting opposite Price when the Red Sox first come to town during the Blue Jays' first homestand in early April.

“I’m happy he’s in Boston. I’ll get to see him all the time,” Stroman said. “And I get to pitch against him. It’s awesome. I get to pitch against one of my role models, one of my mentors and one of my buddies. It’s going to be fun. I’ve been texting him about it.

"It’s going to be a fun rivalry for a bunch of years.”

 

Brandon Schlager

Brandon Schlager Photo

Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News. A proud Buffalo, N.Y. native and graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, he joined SN as an intern in 2014 and now oversees editorial content strategy.