Nathan Lukes didn’t have a problem with the Blue Jays’ post-win water dump. He just has a problem with cold water.
That became the story after Toronto’s celebration took a weird turn Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, following a 3-0 win over Kansas City. Lukes had given the Blue Jays the lead with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning, and that score held the rest of the way.
Then came the usual post-game TV hit with Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, and the usual teammates waiting with the Gatorade. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jesús Sánchez and Myles Straw were part of the back-and-forth around the cooler, but Lukes tried to dodge the moment in a way that made it even more memorable.
He first kicked over the initial cooler. Straw answered by bringing out another one and refilling it after Lukes had knocked the first aside. The second time, Lukes couldn’t do much about it, and his face said plenty.
Fans on social media quickly called the scene “awkward” and “cringeworthy.”
“This is not funny anymore. Read the room. Nathan didn't like it,” one fan wrote.
“Extremely awkward. I really wish they would end the Gatorade Shower; it's well past its peak,” wrote another.
By Thursday afternoon, Blue Jays reporters asked Lukes to clear things up, and he did. He said he’s fine with the celebration itself - the issue is the temperature.
“If I was caught in enemy territory, they could take my fingernails or torture me... But if they used cold water, I'd tell them everything,” he told reporters.
Lukes has been locked in lately, too. He’s hit three home runs in his last six games and driven in nine of Toronto’s 20 runs over that stretch. That hot run has pushed him into a tie for third on the team in home runs, ahead of both Sánchez and Guerrero.
Toronto will need it to keep going. The Blue Jays entered Thursday three games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final American League Wild Card spot, with 28 games left to play.
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