Amanda's album from Dunedin 2.1

RHP Joe Biagini threw the first strike of the spring to Philadelphia Phillies Scott Kingery  Thursday at Dunedin Stadiium. 


By Amanda Fewer
Canadian Baseball Network

DUNEDIN, Fla. _ Will he start this season? 

Or will he come out of the bullpen?

RHP Joe Biagini started for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Philadelphia as the grapefruit was squeezed for the first time Thursday afternoon.

There really wasn’t an answer and there are many miles to travel, but Biagini did not hurt himself allowing only one hit (a Nick Williams single), while striking out a pair (Maikel Franco and Pedro Florimon). 

Victoria Eagles RHP Nick Pivetta was on the mound for the Phillies against the Jays. 

RHP Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) started for the Phillies. He allowed a lead-off homer to new Blue Jays Curtis Granderson. One out later he walked Randal Grichuk, Rowdy Tellez and Aledmys Diaz followed with singles, Grichuk scoring on the Diaz single to right. 

After alllowing two runs in the first, Pivetta put up a zero.

Pivetta faced three men in the second: a Luke Maile single, he struck out Gift Ngoepe and then escaped the inning retiring Granderson on a 6-4-3 double play. 

2B Devon Travis signs autographs for Blue Jays fans. 

Pitching coach Pete Walker, standing on the mound, talks to his troops during pre-game workouts.

OF Teoscar Hernández spends some time at the fence signing autographs.
 

1B Rowdy Tellez is also fan friendly and you notice on his left arm he is wearing a 32 patch in memory of the late RHP Roy Halladay.

Bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos and pitching coach Pete Walker talk prior to game time. 

Both the Blue Jays and the Phillies wore caps from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. to honour those killed and injured Feb. 14. All of baseball wore the caps which will be returned to the school to be auctioned off.

RHP Andrew Case (Saint John, NB) running in the outfield. 
 

There is a spot down the right field line at the back of grandstand where the names of all class-A Dunedin Blue Jays graduates to make the majors have their names on a baseball. Included are the year that they pitched in the Florida State League and the date of their major-league debut. Roy Halladay's baseball is getting  a lot of attention this spring. He was in Dunedin in 1996,  made the majors Sept. 20, 1998 and wennt on to win a Cy Young award. He died Nov. 7 in a plane crash.