Sillinger delivers a strike with first pitch at Guardians game

Just about everywhere you look in the state of Ohio recently, you can find a Blue Jackets player at a sporting event.
There was Jack Roslovic serving as the Hard Hat Hero for the hometown Columbus Crew at a recent match. There was Elvis Merzlikins hamming it up at a tailgate with former Ohio State safety Tyvis Powell and 10TV's Dom Tiberi ahead of the Ohio State football showdown with Notre Dame. And don't forget Patrik Laine and Joonas Korpisalo checking out the Cincinnati Bengals opener this weekend.
Monday night, the trend continued as Cole Sillinger was in Cleveland, but this wasn't just a simple trip to check out a game. The young centerman not only traveled to see the first-place Guardians take on the Angels with his father, Mike, he had the honor of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before the contest.

Afterward, Sillinger said it was no mistake to see the Jackets supporting other high-level athletes across the state.
"I think this is stuff we could do more of, too," he said. "It's cool to support other teams in Ohio. Last year, you saw we were wearing Bengals jerseys when they were in the Super Bowl. We can do little things like that, like people going to Ohio State football games and posting about that on social media. I think it's cool all the teams in Ohio come together a little bit and show support around the state."
It's certainly not a one-way street, as evidenced by the visits Bengals players Trey Hendrickson and Drew Sample have made to Columbus at times over the years to support the Blue Jackets. Members of the Crew and Buckeyes, like Lucas Zelarayan and Jeremy Ruckert, also have stopped by Nationwide Arena to show their support for their fellow Columbus team.
Sillinger may have converted Guardians pitcher Cal Quantrill into a Blue Jackets fan as well. The son of Canadian former major league hurler Paul Quantrill, Cal was born in Ontario and grew up playing hockey, even noting he's part of a fantasy hockey league in the Guardians clubhouse.
Quantrill was chosen to catch the first pitch thrown by Sillinger on Monday night and spent a few minutes before the game chatting about hockey with the Blue Jackets center. Despite having little background in baseball, Sillinger promised a strike and delivered with a toss right down Broadway, something he attributed to his pre-throw chat with the Guardians starter.

"I was joking with the promising a strike," Sillinger said with a laugh. "I thought I was gonna kibosh it, throw a rainbow or something like that. But Cal was just like, throw it, I'll make it a strike no matter what. I'll make it look good.
"I got up there and was a little nervous. Had a little bit of a longer intro (than I expected), but it was a cool experience. A once-in-a-lifetime thing."