Arencibia, Romero honor memory of young Blue Jays fan in win

The box score for the Toronto Blue Jays' 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night shows that rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia and left-hander Ricky Romero each contributed to the cause.

Arencibia hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, and Romero allowed a run and three hits, and he struck out six.

Arencibia's homer was key, giving the Jays what became the game-winning run. But, for reasons beyond baseball, Arencibia might consider it one of his most memorable hits ever by the time his career ends.

Arencibia and Romero dedicated the Jays victory to the memory of Ryley James Martin, who died of leukemia a day earlier at 2 1/2 years old. Romero carved a tribute into the mound, while Arencibia (pictured above with Ryley) admitted that the boy was on his mind:

"I shed a few tears after that home run. ... Today's game was for him, and I'm glad we were able to come out on top," Arencibia said.

Arencibia and Romero met Ryley and his parents when the family was invited on the field before a game at Toronto's Rogers Centre in early April. The Jays battery played catch with Ryley and helped him swing a bat.

The meeting wasn't anything like the oft-told, under-substantiated story of Babe Ruth promising a sick little boy he'd hit a home run for him. It was better. It was real. Just a couple of ballplayers engaging one of their youngest fans who would not be alive much longer.

The encounter lasted only about 20 minutes, but it made a lasting impression on both Jays.

"It was cool for me to interact with somebody like that," said Arencibia, who held a picture of himself with Ryley after the game. "I remember coming inside and talking to Ricky and saying, 'Hey, that's crazy. That kid doesn't have much longer to live, and we're here playing this game.' "

Romero posted several tributes to the Martin family on his Twitter account Wednesday after hearing of Ryley's death. And just before throwing the first pitch, Romero carved the initials "RJM" into the mound. From the Globe and Mail:

"I felt like today, every time I looked at the back of the mound, I kept looking at his initials, just remembered that time we were playing in front of that dugout, just the smile he had," Romero said after the game. "It was definitely something you'll carry with you forever."

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