What fans might not realize, however, is that before turning his attention to baseball, Torii was first passionate about football. Now, he’s living out some of that passion through his son, Monshadrik.
Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune spoke with Torii over the phone about his love for the pigskin.
“I was always around the ball and could hit some guys and make some loud noises, before the targeting [rules] and everything, of course,” Hunter told Vensel. “I know I could have played in college. And I’m pretty sure if I put my mind to it, I could have given myself a really good chance of getting to the NFL.