Title: In case of emergency, Jamie Ritchie will be ready to catch for Blue Jays
Date: September 26, 2023
Original Source: Sportsnet
Synopsis: In my latest at Sportsnet, I wrote about Jamie Ritchie’s short tenure as the Blue Jays’ taxi-squad emergency catcher and what that role entails.
The timing had lined up perfectly for Jamie Ritchie to enjoy an off-day in New York. The Buffalo Bisons played in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa. last Sunday and weren’t due back in Buffalo until Tuesday, so Jamie and his wife, Lauren, opted to fit in a day exploring NYC.
The timing of The Call was less kismet.
Ritchie was nearly back in Buffalo when Bisons manager Casey Candaele called to let him know he was joining the Toronto Blue Jays on their taxi-squad; He was headed for New York, where he’d just returned from, the following morning as the Blue Jays had a series against the Yankees. The flight from Buffalo to New York was a short one; the jump from minor-league off-day to major-league taxi squad was not.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 