What to know
- Rodrigo Farias was selected as the Toronto Blue Jays’ Rogers Game Day Owner, giving him behind-the-scenes access to Rogers Centre.
- Farias immigrated to Canada from Chile at age eight and says his first Blue Jays game became one of his earliest memories of feeling welcome in his new home.
- He recalls calling out to Blue Jays legend Carlos Delgado in Spanish, who looked over and waved back.
- The experience comes during a milestone year for Farias, who recently became a Canadian citizen and is preparing to get married.
For Rodrigo Farias, the opportunity to become the Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Game Day Owner is about much more than a behind-the-scenes experience at Rogers Centre.
It’s the latest chapter in a journey that began 25 years ago when he arrived in Canada from Chile when he was 8 who knew almost no English.
“When I arrived, I did not know anything in English except the numbers 1 through 50,” Farias said. “My grandpa thought it would be a good idea for me to learn the numbers. I just knew the numbers, ‘hello,’ ‘how are you,’ and ‘bye.’ That was it.”
Getting used to his new life in Canada was not easy for him at all. The language, the weather and an entirely new culture made for a dramatic change. But one of his earliest memories was a trip to his first Toronto Blue Jays game with his stepfather.
“I remember getting a T-shirt, a foam finger and a hat,” he said. “The experience was surreal. It was a sport I’d never seen before in a stadium I’d never been to, with a massive amount of people in the crowd. Everybody cheered and chanted. It was fantastic.”
But one moment from that day has stayed with him ever since.
Farias remembers sitting just a few rows behind the Blue Jays dugout when his stepfather encouraged him to call out to Carlos Delgado in Spanish.
“He looked up, said something to me and waved,” Farias said. “To me, I was just like, ‘Wow.’ Not only am I this close to the players, but they acknowledged me. They made me feel welcome in my first game.”
That first experience sparked a lifelong passion for the Blue Jays.
Over the years, Farias attended games with friends, followed the team’s playoff runs and found himself connecting with fellow fans throughout the city.
“You see somebody wearing a Blue Jays hat across the street, you make eye contact, nod or say, ‘Go Jays,’” he said. “There’s that connection, that passion of the team, that brotherhood.”
Now, after entering Rogers Game Day Owner contest earlier this season, Farias will receive behind the scenes access to Rogers Centre, including the clubhouse, dugout and field, while also meeting players and sharing ideas with club executives.
When he received the phone call telling him he had been selected, he was driving to work.
“I wanted to pull over and scream,” he said with a laugh. “As soon as I got off the call, I called my soon to be wife and said, ‘Whatever we’re doing Monday, we’re not doing it. We’re going to do this instead.’”
The opportunity comes during what has already been a memorable year. Farias officially became a Canadian citizen and is set to get married in just two weeks.
Although the experience is quickly approaching, he admits the excitement is only growing.
“I know myself,” he said. “The closer I get to the stadium, I’m just going to be like a kid in a candy store. What’s next? What are we going to do? This is amazing.”
During a trip back to Chile after discovering baseball in Canada, Farias packed a baseball glove, bat and ball so he could play with his grandfather and introduce him to the sport.
“My poor grandpa was not only pitching to me, but every time I hit the ball, he had to go get it,” Farias said with a laugh.”
After about half an hour, neighbourhood children began asking questions about the unfamiliar game.
“We got a little game going,” he said. “I was trying to explain to them… It was fun because it got people asking questions.””
Looking back on his journey, Farias says the biggest lesson he’s learned isn’t about baseball at all.
“If I could talk to that eight-year-old kid, I’d tell him, ‘Be humble and enjoy the process,’” he said. “Work hard, stay thankful, and things will come. They may come quickly or slowly, but if you stay humble and keep working, you’ll succeed.”
On Monday, Farias won’t just be stepping onto the field as Rogers Game Day Owner. He’ll be returning to the ballpark where one of his earliest memories in Canada began but this time with a lifetime of memories and milestones behind him.
