Toronto, Ontario (WGR 550) - While Josh Allen is widely known for his rocket arm around NFL circles, he traded in the football for a baseball bat ahead of Monday night's Toronto Blue Jays' matchup with the New York Yankees.
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Along with fellow quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Matt Barkley, Allen was in "The 6ix" to not only take in his first Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre, but also take part in some batting practice and catch some fly balls in the outfield ahead of first pitch.
While Bills fans have been able to see Allen sling some softballs in past years during the Micah Hyde Charity Softball Game, he was crushing baseballs in Toronto on Monday, as he completed his batting practice session with four home runs.
"I played all through growing up until senior year of high school, and it's been about seven or eight years since I've actually touched a baseball bat. That was fun to get back out there. I forgot how much I missed it," said Allen during an appearance on Sportsnet on Monday. "It was such a big part of my life, my family's life growing up, going to baseball tournaments in the summer, and playing a lot of baseball. It was great to be back out there."
Allen's hitting abilities in the batter's box was even impressive enough to catch the eyes of a few of Yankees players ahead of Monday's matchup.
However, Allen had some stiff competition in the home run department on Monday, as Barkley was able to one-up the Bills starting quarterback with five home runs during batting practice.
While Allen admits he hasn't been following baseball all too much with his busy football schedule, he does say he's trying to get back into it, and following the Blue Jays only makes sense.
"The Blue Jays organization, they've been nothing but great," Allen said. "I know they played in Buffalo [in 2021], I actually got to go out and see them perform. It makes a lot of sense. I love the Blue Jays, I love baseball, and I'm glad to be out here today."
Allen and the Bills are just about two months out from opening training camp once again at St. John Fisher University. There they will begin preparations for the 2023 regular season, where Buffalo will open its schedule on "Monday Night Football" against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.
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Although the 2023 season opener is just under four months away, Allen is looking forward to getting things going for Year 6 with the Bills.
"Division games are always tough. It's hard to win in the NFL, but we've got to put our best foot forward and try to start the season off strong." he said. "It doesn't matter who you're playing, you have to find a way to win."
