TORONTO —
Josh Naylor has made it through a team change and a position change to a major league debut before he turns 22, in part because of his ability to maintain an even demeanor.
But even as he impassively spoke about his impending debut, he anticipated when the enormity of the moment would sink in.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Naylor said Friday afternoon. “I know when the national anthem plays it will hit me then. I’ll just take it from there and try to stay as calm as I am now.”
That would be “Oh Canada,” the Canadian national anthem, since his debut will fortuitously come Friday night against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, which is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Naylor’s hometown of Mississauga, Ontario.