Josh Donaldson might be retired from playing Major League Baseball, but the former Blue Jays MVP hasn’t hung up his cleats just yet.
On Monday, Donaldson signed a one-day contract and suited up for a very unlikely team: The Brew Jays.
Donaldson arrived at Art Ferguson Park in Newmarket in full gear, ready to aid the struggling slo-pitch softball team – and he didn’t disappoint.
The former American League MVP was seen belting a monster home run in one video – complete with a celebration and bat flip as he rounded the bases.
He also pounded another extra-base hit and made “probably 50%” of his team’s defensive outs during the matchup.
“WOW Huge shoutout to Josh Donaldson and the get it done league,” the Brew Jays posted on Instagram. “They made a beer league softball teams dreams come true and gave us a story to tell for the rest of our life.”
How did the team get Josh Donaldson to show up?
While many will wonder how a rec league team an hour north of Toronto can manage to get a retired MLB superstar like Donaldson to come out for a game, the answer is quite simple: Just ask.
“After a bad loss last week, one of our players was fed up and decided to shoot JD a random DM and he responded ‘where are you at and when do you play,’” the Brew Dogs said on Tuesday.
“After some coordination, we hammered down the date and he showed up with a full camera crew and played the full nine innings. The other team we absolutely shocked.”
Seeing a player of Donaldson’s calibre likely would be shocking for the average Joe, who could hardly expect to see a 13-year pro across the diamond.
Having him on your side, however, was an absolute dream for the Brew Jays.
“It was the greatest night of our lives,” the team said. “He is such an amazing dude and such an incredible player. He was responsible for probably 50% of our defensive outs in the game.
“It was the first time in a while we felt like we had a chance to win. He was chirping the other team continuously and constantly hyping us up.”
Unfortunately for the Brew Dogs, despite having a ringer of epic proportions, they still lost the game to the Bluefins 12-9.
But in the end, the score didn’t matter for the guys.
“This was a childhood dream for all of us and it’s just so crazy that it actually happened,” the team said. “Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”
Donaldson and fellow ex-Blue Jay Russell Martin seem to be making the rounds at local baseball diamonds, too. A Reddit user posted a video clip of Martin taking a swing during a game at Coronation Park and commented that the duo had a couple of at-bats and played in the field.
The pair also recently started a podcast called Get It Done League.
How good was Donaldson’s playing career?
During his four years in Toronto, Donaldson was a two-time AL all-star and won the American League MVP in 2015, when he batted .297, slugged 41 home runs and led the league with 123 RBIs.
The third baseman posted a career slash line of .261/.358/.489 with 279 home runs and 816 RBIs before officially announcing his retirement from baseball on March 4, 2024.
What else has Donaldson been up to?
Showing up for beer league softball isn’t the only thing that has been keeping Donaldson busy.
Earlier this year, the slugger revealed that he has a massive amount of memorabilia that he says is worth “about $35 million.”
During an episode of Locker 19 – a podcast and YouTube channel focused on sports memorabilia hosted by former NHLer Scottie Upshall – Donaldson made a surprise appearance.
In a video of the podcast posted on YouTube, Upshall was sitting down in a locker room with NFL legend John Elway, opening some packs of cards, when Donaldson stopped by to check out what the pair had just pulled: A 1984 Dan Marino rookie.
Donaldson showed off a quick bit of trading card knowledge, examining the Marino card and noting it was in “pretty good” condition while also noting that it had been printed “a hair off centre.”
When Elway asked the former third baseman if he “saved cards,” Donaldson replied he has a “huge collection.”
Upshall backed up the comment, confirming it is “really impressive” before Donaldson caught Elway off guard with just how big it is.
“Yeah, my collection is probably worth about $35 million,” Donaldson said, which led Elway to cough and spit out the drink he had just taken a sip of.
What kind of cards does Donaldson collect?
While the value of his collection is quite shocking, perhaps the most surprising aspect is that the former AL MVP isn’t even collecting cards from the sport he once excelled at. Donaldson apparently is all about hoops cards.
“It’s all hoops, by the way,” Upshall then pointed out to Elway, though Donaldson confirmed that he has some football, too.
Elway commented that “everyone likes hoops,” to which Donaldson replied, “that’s why it’s so nuts.”