Scenes from the life of Roberto Osuna.Spring training, 2015, and the just-turned-20-year-old is hovering at the edges of a media scrum with novice pitching sensation Miguel Castro, a zipper-skinny Dominican who’s been touching the radar gun at 100 mph. Castro doesn’t speak a word of English so Osuna offers to translate. At some point, the questions turn to Osuna and we learn of his hard-scrabble youth — quitting school at age 12 to work in the Mexican potato fields alongside his father, following his dad as a raw teenager in the Mexican league, a boy playing with men. On his right forearm, the long scar from early Tommy John surgery.Both rookies break camp with the Blue Jays, surprisingly. But only Osuna will stick, a gem of a closer, a found treasure.He is sweet. He speaks softly. He hurls heat. He is fearless.April 8: Osuna makes his major league debut at Yankee Stadium, youngest Toronto pitcher to ever take the mound, and strikes out Alex Rodriguez.Oct. 24: Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, Toronto returning to the post-season for the first time since 1993, in no small measure because of Osuna’s 20 saves. But he surrenders the 4-3 go-ahead run in the eighth inning to the Royals, Jays eliminated. “I feel sad and happy at the same time. Sad because we’re obviously out, right? But we worked really hard this year and I’m happy about what we did all year.”April 3, 2016: An opening day save for Osuna. By the end of the regular season, he’d have 36.Read more: Opinion | Richard Griffin: Roberto Osuna’s arrest for assault brings necessary repercussionsOsuna’s administrative leave extended pending assault charge investigationBlue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna charged with assaultMore dismissive with reporters, though. Shades of big league ego, in a clubhouse where there’s no shortage of attitude.June 24, 2017: After mystifyingly not being available for a save in a tie game — he& ...
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