July 29 (The Sports Xchange) - Troy Tulowitzki was greeted
by a standing ovation when he stepped to the plate for the first
time as a Toronto Blue Jay in the first inning on Wednesday.
After striking out in his first at-bat, the team's new
shortstop gave the Rogers Centre crowd plenty to cheer about
with a homer, two doubles and three RBIs in the Blue Jays' 8-2
victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies, who are 9-2 since the All-Star break, had
their five-game winning streak ended.
Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the third inning to snap a
0-for-21 hitless streak that he brought with him after the
Rockies traded him to the Blue Jays as part of a six-player deal
Tuesday. Shortstop Jose Reyes went to Colorado in the swap.
"The ovation from the crowd that first at-bat was obviously
special," Tulowitzki said. "I think it made my at-bat that much
harder. I settled down. It was nice to give us the lead and win
a game.
"I was nervous going into the game, no doubt about it. First
time I wore a different uniform. Looking down and seeing blue
was a little bit different for me."
Toronto right-hander R.A. Dickey (5-10) allowed seven hits
and two unearned runs in eight innings for his second
consecutive win.
"He's a perennial All-Star, you kind of know what you're
getting," Dickey said of Tulowitzki. "There was a great play
that he made, a fantastic play (in the third).
"The offense, you know that's what he's capable of doing. To
have a double-edged knife like that, it's nice to turn around
and look and see that."
Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams (3-8) allowed 10 hits
and four runs in 4 2/3 innings. It was his second start since
coming off the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
"I got the ball where I wanted to put it, and they were
finding holes," Williams said. "You just have to take it and
come back next time."
"I didn't expect Jerome to be real sharp," Phillies interim
manager Pete Mackanin said. "He pitched pretty well considering
he hasn't pitched in a while. He threw too many hittable
pitches. He was OK, he just wasn't sharp.
"Tonight is about Tulowitzki. What a great first
impression."
(Editing by Julian Linden)