Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down! Before you get into a teary mess (no offense), I must tell you why Budzinski is leaving the team for a while. Bear with me, because it’s very sad, but the Budzinski family’s eldest daughter Julia Budzinski died, and this was made public on Sunday. Julia (seventeen years old) was tubing in Virginia when she fell off her tube and into the James River, where she drowned.
Outcome
“The Budzinskis have been part of our Blue Jays family over the last four seasons. This devastating loss is felt by our entire organization and we grieve alongside Bud and his family,” Ross Atkins, the Blue Jays’ executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager, said in a statement. “I have known Bud for more than 25 years and have always admired his commitment as a dad and husband first. He is loved and well-respected by our entire clubhouse and holds a special place in all our hearts.” Before the first pitch on Sunday, the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays stood on the foul line to acknowledge Julia.
The Budzinskis
The team reported that while Mark was away from baseball, he would be with his wife and two children. “Budzinski and manager Charlie Montoyo left in the third inning of the second game of the Blue Jays’ doubleheader Saturday against the Rays. After the game, the Blue Jays closed their clubhouse and said that Montoyo and the team’s other coaches were with Budzinski, who was ‘dealing with a personal matter.’”
So, what did Mark Budzinski do before he suffered this heartbreaking loss? “Budzinski played four games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2003 and retired in 2005. After managing in Cleveland’s minor league system, he joined its big league staff in 2017. Toronto hired Budzinski in November 2018,” an article furnished by EWJ for OTF writers says.
Outcome
“The Budzinskis have been part of our Blue Jays family over the last four seasons. This devastating loss is felt by our entire organization and we grieve alongside Bud and his family,” Ross Atkins, the Blue Jays’ executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager, said in a statement. “I have known Bud for more than 25 years and have always admired his commitment as a dad and husband first. He is loved and well-respected by our entire clubhouse and holds a special place in all our hearts.” Before the first pitch on Sunday, the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays stood on the foul line to acknowledge Julia.
The Budzinskis
The team reported that while Mark was away from baseball, he would be with his wife and two children. “Budzinski and manager Charlie Montoyo left in the third inning of the second game of the Blue Jays’ doubleheader Saturday against the Rays. After the game, the Blue Jays closed their clubhouse and said that Montoyo and the team’s other coaches were with Budzinski, who was ‘dealing with a personal matter.’”
So, what did Mark Budzinski do before he suffered this heartbreaking loss? “Budzinski played four games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2003 and retired in 2005. After managing in Cleveland’s minor league system, he joined its big league staff in 2017. Toronto hired Budzinski in November 2018,” an article furnished by EWJ for OTF writers says.
