Davis Schneider became an instant Blue Jays sensation on Friday when he made his debut with a home run in his first at-bat. He was already an interesting prospect before being called-up, but now even the old-school glove he uses has created headlines.
According to sports broadcaster Hazel Mae, Schneider found his Mizuno glove in a "lost and found" where he coaches during the offseason. It has the letters "VUK" written on it with black marker, and it turns out those three letters were a big clue about who the glove used to belong to.
Per report, the original owner was the late John Vukovich, who was a baseball utility infielder, manager, and coach in MLB. He was best known for his time with Philadelphia Phillies, a team he played for in 1970-71, and coached for from 1988–2004. In an interesting turn of events, Vukovich's son, Vince, used to be Toronto manager John Schneider's roommate and teammate at Delaware.
"Vince saw my post and joked to John, 'I've been looking for this. Tell Davis I want it back!' Crazy stuff!!!" wrote Mae.
Although they have the same last name, the Blue Jays manager and the player are not actually related -- but now they have that coincidental connection through the glove.
Schneider was drafted 849th overall by the Blue Jays in 2017 and has been patiently waiting for his chance to prove himself in the big leagues. Last season, Schneider registered 17 extra-base hits, including six home runs, in the 46 games he played for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Toronto's Double-A affiliate. He had a .283 batting average and an .844 OPS, while also stealing 10 bases. Schneider was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo on Sept. 8.
It's unlikely Schneider will want to give Vince the glove now because so far it seems to be bringing him a lot of luck. Schneider became the first player in MLB history with nine hits and three home runs in his first three games.
Toronto is currently third in the AL East with a 63-50 overall record. The Blue Jays just swept the Red Sox in a three-game series in Boston. They will now take on the Guardians in a four-game series in Cleveland.
