Hundreds of baseball fans turned up in the wintertime to see some of the boys of summer at an east Ottawa mall Sunday.
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie, catcher J.P. Arencibia and pitchers Ricky Romero and Casey Janssen stopped by the St. Laurent Shopping Centre for an autograph session.
Some fans waited up to three and a half hours for their chance to meet them.
"I got to meet Brett Lawrie, my favourite player," said one child. "I did a report on him."
"I think it's going to be a good season, we have some good pitching," said 93-year-old David Featherstone, who said he's been a fan since the team was founded.
One of the highlights for fans was Lawrie's call-up from the minor leagues in August, as the infielder is also a Canadian.
"It's obviously a plus just to have the ability to play Major League Baseball, but to be a Canadian kid and do it with the Toronto Blue Jays is pretty special," he said.
"I'm a huge Jays fan, there's not a lot of opportunity to get their autographs so you have to take advantage," said one fan.
Last year the team finished fourth in their division with 81 wins and 81 losses, and one fan had some ideas on how to push for the playoffs next year.
"Don't stop trying, keep hitting home runs and keep throwing fast balls," they said.
The Blue Jays were at Sunday's Ottawa Senators game before meeting with the media on Monday.
Their annual Winter Tour keeps going east afterwards with stops in Montreal, Halifax and St. John's.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Vanessa Lee
