One Toronto Blue Jays fan vacationing in Florida got a bit more than they bargained for on a recent trip to watch the team.
While the Blue Jays have their home base in Dunedin, Florida, during the spring months, it’s not uncommon for fans to travel across the state to see them take on other opponents.
And when Robert Guertin decided to take in a Blue Jays game with his wife Linda at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches against the Houston Astros last Friday, he suddenly found himself on the field to sing “O Canada.”
With the couple travelling with a large group of friends to go check out their favourite baseball team, it turned out that the home side didn’t exactly have anyone lined up for the Canadian anthem.
Given that Toronto is the lone MLB club based in Canada, most part-time anthem singers could go a whole season of games without ever having to sing two songs back-to-back before the first pitch.
So an Astros ticket representative offered Guertin’s group the shot to perform the Canadian tune, and after mustering up the courage, the 67-year-old Ontario native was tasked with the job.
A @BlueJays fan stepped in to sing the Canadian national athem at a spring training game at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Friday pic.twitter.com/JdaR7h8XI4
— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) March 16, 2025
“I was so nervous I almost forgot the words,” Guertin told the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons.
It was Guertin’s first time singing in public as he stepped out behind home plate wearing a Blue Jays t-shirt. The Jays couldn’t pull out the win for the rookie singer, however, falling 6-5 to Houston on the day.
It’s officially just 10 days away before the games count for real, with Toronto returning to the Rogers Centre next week to host the Baltimore Orioles in their home opener on March 27.
No word yet on who will be singing the anthem for that one, but perhaps the Blue Jays should let Guertin test his pipes north of the border at some point this season — if he can get his nerves in order for a bit of a larger audience.
