John McDonald’s father, Jack, knew he was dying. He had known for a while, since being diagnosed for a recurrence of liver cancer in March, and by the end, he even had a good idea of exactly when. But the 60-year-old Connecticut native and his 35-year-old son, a utility infielder with the Blue Jays, had made a commitment to be together in Toronto for a semi-annual Father’s Day Q&A, their third such event, and it’s not like this family to step away from a promise.

The two Macs started their shared tradition of hosting a group of fans at the ballpark when John was a young player with the Cleveland Indians. When McDonald was dealt to the Jays, they revived the idea, and after being originally diagnosed with cancer in November, Jack asked his son if he could make those plans happen so they could be together one more time on Father’s Day. He probably knew he wouldn’t be able to make it, but it’s good to have goals.

Jack McDonald passed away at home last Tuesday and was laid to rest on Friday. John McDonald left his wife and daughter at home and flew back to Toronto on Saturday so he could rejoin his teammates and also fulfill his Father’s Day promise to the fans who had won tickets.

For 40 emotional minutes before Sunday’s finale of the Giants series, McDonald answered questions, mostly personal ones, in a private box on the 300 level at the Rogers Centre, pointing out to the admiring fans that in the past it was his dad who did most of the talking.

For 14 emotional seconds in the ninth inning of a 9-6 loss to the Giants, McDonald sprinted around the bases with teary eyes after hitting an unlikely two-run homer that fulfilled his father’s dying wish — “Hit your next one for me.”

“I knew I wanted to hit the ball really hard and I was trying to calm down my emotions,” McDonald said. “I was really excited to be back in a ballgame and the reception of the fans was really nice for me because they don’t have to. It meant an awful lot to me.”

The ball was indeed hit hard, hooking just over the left-field fence into the bullpen. As he circled the bases, McDonald had trouble holding back. When he touched home plate, he pointed skyward. As he reached the dugout, he pumped his fist and headed up the dugout tunnel to deal with his emotions. He was greeted with hugs from a group of players coming from the clubhouse —Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill, Alex Gonzalez, Casey Janssen and Adam Lind.

The biggest change hit him hard: “The fact that I couldn’t call my dad after the game.”

Many people in similar situations have a list of regrets, things they want to tell their father before he goes. But McDonald speaks with reverence and respect about the bond that had always existed with his father and about spending the final night of his life with his friend and mentor.

“We were extending our friendship further,” McDonald explained. “His last night before he came home to hospice care, I stayed in the hospital with him all night and we sat up and we talked and we watched the sun come up. He would fall asleep and wake up an hour later and we would talk some more and they’d get more medication and we’d talk some more.

“That was a great night for both of us, because we knew what was going to happen the next day when we went home. He knew what direction it was going and so did I. It was a special night for the two of us. I said, ‘Dad I wish I had something to tell you that I never told you but you know everything.’”

Thanks to the humanity shown by the Jays, McDonald was home for the final 11 days of his father’s life, alternately laughing and crying but always celebrating a life well lived. McDonald recalled for the fans one of the highlight conversations from that final week.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“One year I struck out only once in high school,” he said. “We had a game where no umpires showed. They knew my dad was an ump so they pulled him out of the crowd. On a two-strike pitch, he punched me out on a curveball. We were talking in the hospital with a bunch of his umpire friends. I said, ‘Dad, was that really a strike?’ He said, ‘Son, it was a strike then and it’s a strike now.’”

Jack’s torch of wisdom has clearly been passed to the next generation of McDonald.