There’s finally an answer to one of the quirkiest Blue Jays stories from the 2015 and 2016 run - and, according to John Gibbons, Josh Donaldson’s famous cologne explanation was completely off base.
The moment in question came nearly a decade ago, after Donaldson had struck out for the third time in a game against the New York Yankees and slammed his bat against the dugout railing. That set off a confrontation with Gibbons, then Toronto’s manager, and when reporters later asked what sparked it, Donaldson delivered a line that stuck: "Gibby asked me what kind of cologne I was wearing, and I said it's this new cologne called Tom Ford.
I just got it. I can give you some after the game."
On the latest episode of Donaldson’s Get it Done League podcast with Russell Martin and former Blue Jays broadcaster Arash Madani, Gibbons was a guest and laughed off that version of events. He said Donaldson’s retelling was wrong and explained that he already expected trouble for the former AL MVP against Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia.
"Sabathia was the only left-hander in the league who gave Josh trouble," Gibbons said.
Gibbons said he had planned to give Donaldson the day off, but instead used him as a DH. The at-bats went exactly the way he feared.
"The first at-bat, he was sword fighting [swinging and missing] on three pitches," Gibbons laughed. "The next at-bat, same thing."
He joked that Donaldson’s struggles were so severe they practically helped Sabathia’s Hall of Fame case. Donaldson’s third trip to the plate didn’t change the mood much either. After another strikeout, he smashed his bat against the dugout railing, just a few feet from Gibbons.
"I remember thinking, I can't let this happen," Gibbons said.
That was the flashpoint for the heated exchange that later turned into one of the most memorable postgame quotes from that era - and, as Gibbons made clear, a very different story than the one Donaldson told.
Both men were gone from Toronto by 2018. Donaldson was traded to Cleveland, while Gibbons and the Blue Jays split at the end of the season. Gibbons is still in the game, working as a bench coach for the Los Angeles Angels under manager Kurt Suzuki.
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