Nelly Furtado and Kevin Gausman apparently share a couple of connections.
Firstly, the Canadian pop star’s breakout single was the hit I’m Like a Bird — all the back in 2000, if you can believe that or not — while Gausman is a bird of sorts, being key member of the Blue Jays pitching staff.
But it was a social media post by the right-handed starter that caught everyone’s attention before Sunday’s game against the Brewers.
While Gausman had pitched the previous day, going seven innings, giving up just four hits and one run before closer Jeff Hoffman blew the game in the ninth inning – the loss didn’t appear to dampen the starter’s mood.
“Decided to listen to the radio this morning, pulled up to the Rogers Centre rocking some Nelly Furtado! It just felt right I’m not going to lie,” Gausman posted on X, along with three Canada flag emojis.
The tweet quickly went viral, racking up almost 7,000 likes and has been viewed more than 287,000 times since being posted on Sunday morning.
Fans were thrilled that Gausman, who hails from Centennial, Colo., continues to embrace Canadian culture.
“I love how much Gausman has embraced Toronto and Canadian culture while living here,” one user commented on Reddit.
“Give this man citizenship already!” another posted.
While the Jays had dropped the first two games of the series to the MLB-leading Brewers, Gausman’s music choice might become a new superstition, given Sunday’s result.
Toronto finished the series strong with an 8-4 win, which also saw the recently shaky bullpen pitch five shutout innings in relief of Max Scherzer, who got into trouble early.
Even the embattled Hoffman was able to keep a lid on things, finishing off the visitors in the ninth.
Gausman has been a star on social media with his off-beat posts about everything from Toronto parking to flamethrowers.
In early August, the two-time all-star shared his frustrations over trying to find free parking in the city – and went viral in the process.
“So apparently there is no such thing as free parking in Toronto,” Gausman posted to X. He also added two facepalm emojis, something most drivers in Toronto can relate to when it comes to parking in the city.
The post immediately grabbed the Internet’s attention and has been viewed more than 380,000 times on the social platform and elicited hundreds of replies.
Former Blue Jay Justin Turner replied with laughing emojis while another user quipped, “lol bro. You forget where you are?”
Gausman, who reportedly lives north of Eglinton Avenue, didn’t elaborate on whether his frustration was caused by a parking ticket, or just finding a free spot in general.
In June, he took to X to ask if anyone knew where he could find a flamethrower in Toronto.
“Looking for a flamethrower. Anyone in Toronto know anyone?” he posted – we hope jokingly.
Last year, he also shared a comical interaction with one of his daughters while attending one of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concerts at Rogers Centre.
“My daughter at the Taylor Swift concert — ‘you know what’s keeping me awake??…….. The music’ — gosh I love this chick,” he wrote.