Toronto – Toronto Rock forward Garrett Billings traded in his lacrosse helmet for a baseball cap last Wednesday afternoon. The Rock’s leading scorer threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Toronto Blue Jays taking on the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre.
The 2012 NLL regular season wrapped up recently and Billings had a career year establishing a new league record for most assists in a season with 82 and also broke the Rock team mark of 111 points with his 114 regular season points.
Having a lacrosse stick in his hands almost every day of the year, it’s been a while since Billings has thrown a baseball.
“I haven’t thrown a baseball in 10 years,” said the 26-year old Billings.
Last year, Rock captain Colin Doyle used his lacrosse stick to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to an early season Blue Jays game. Billings followed in the footsteps of his teammate.
The third-year Rock forward is a Langley, British Columbia native, the same hometown as Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie.
“He’s a couple of years younger than me,” explained Billings. “We actually grew up on the same street in Langley just a few doors down from each other. I remember him always out on the street playing one sport or another.”
