As Justin Turner approached the batter’s box Friday night at Rogers Centre, Ricky Romero kept telling himself not to look at his face.
As best friends and former college teammates at Cal State-Fullerton, their respective faces are quite familiar to each other – just not from 60-feet six inches away.
So when Turner’s New York Mets arrived in Toronto Thursday night ahead of their three-game weekend series against Romero’s Blue Jays, they went out for dinner. They discussed the possibility of squaring off against each other the next night for the just the second time in the big leagues — and for the first time in almost three seasons.
"Oh, we talked about it," Romero said prior to Saturday’s game against the New York Mets. "I told him I didn’t want to look at his face in the box. I couldn’t."
The two native Californians have known each other since their high school days and became fast friends while attending Cal State back in the early part of the last decade. Their off-season homes are close to each other and their extended families have become close as well.
Romero’s concentration was tested in the first inning Friday when Turner, batting second and playing first base, stepped up to the plate.
But unlike three years ago in Baltimore when Turner hit a single up the middle in their only other prior encounter, this time Romero came out on top, getting Turner to line out to Kelly Johnson at second.
In the third, Turner hit a one-hopper back to Romero that the pitcher promptly turned into a slick 1-6-3 double play, and in the fifth, Romero induced another double play grounder from his pal, this one going 4-6-3.
Following the game – a14-5 Blue Jays win – the two met up at Toronto’s home before heading out for a late bite. And as you might expect, that night’s box score, one that saw Turner go 0 for 3 vs. Romero, was a topic of conversation, however briefly.
"Yeah, we talked about it little bit and I had a little fun with him," said Romero. "But really, once we leave the field, it’s over."
Turner, or "Red," as Romero calls him due to his large mane of red hair, was back in the Mets lineup Saturday, batting sixth and playing third base for the ill David Wright.
The two teams will close out their weekend series Sunday afternoon, leaving just enough time for the two friends to squeeze in one more meal.
"We’ll probably go to dinner again (Saturday)," said Romero. "For us to be able to share moments like this in the big leagues, it’s special for us and our families too. He’s like a brother to me."
