Roberto Osuna was taught to respect his elders, so when the Blue Jays rookie right-hander met LaTroy Hawkins in the team’s clubhouse two weeks ago, he greeted him formally.

“I was like, ‘It’s nice to meet you, Sir.’”

At 42-and-a-half years old, Hawkins may be the eldest player in the majors, but he doesn’t yet feel like a “Sir” — and definitely not to his teammates.

“You can call me LaTroy or Hawk or L.T.,” he told Osuna. “Anything but Sir or Mister.”

Respectively the youngest and oldest pitchers in the big leagues, Osuna and Hawkins — who sit next to each other in the Jays’ clubhouse — are at opposite ends of their careers. Osuna, who has assumed the Jays’ closer’s role, is beginning what looks like a long and fruitful tenure in Toronto. Hawkins, who was acquired with Troy Tulowitzki from Colorado a few days before the trade deadline, is planning to retire after this, his 21st major-league season.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Blue Jays are the first team since the save statistic was created in 1969 to have the league’s oldest and youngest pitchers both save a game. And Hawkins is just the 13th pitcher in baseball history to earn a save against all 30 teams.

“We were just talking a few days ago,” Osuna said. “He was like, ‘Osuna, how old are you?’ I’m like, ‘20’ and he says, ‘What year were you born in?’ and I’m like, ‘1995’ and he’s like, ‘WHAT?!! That was my first year in the big leagues!’”

Hawkins actually played against Osuna’s uncle, Antonio, a reliever who pitched 11 years in the majors, mostly with the L.A. Dodgers.

Despite the generation gap, Hawkins and Osuna have already struck up something of a friendship.

“I don’t look at guys by their age,” Hawkins said. “Age doesn’t mean anything in this game.”

The Indiana native said he doesn’t feel any extra distance from his younger teammates and, having played on 11 different clubs in his career, it didn’t take long for him to blend into his newest bullpen. “As long as they’re not talking about freakin’ FIFA or hockey on Xbox, I’m good,” he said, laughing. “That stuff I’m not good at, but anything else I can relate to, whether it’s about baseball or life, I think I’ve got some good nuggets to give ’em.”

Osuna, who is just the fourth player in baseball history to earn a save before his 21st birthday, is 11-for-12 in save opportunities this season while posting a 2.09 ERA. He has shown the poise and confidence of a veteran, but he says he doesn’t mind getting advice from somebody like Hawkins, who has been around the game much longer. “No, no, no,” he said. “From guys like him, you try to learn as much as you can. Whatever he says, I listen. He’s been so nice to me so I couldn’t be more excited to have him on the team.”

Though overshadowed by the Tulowitzki acquisition, Hawkins’ addition to the Jays’ bullpen — along with that of Mark Lowe and the return of Aaron Sanchez — has turned what was arguably the club’s biggest weakness into a strength. Since acquiring Hawkins, the Jays’ bullpen has the lowest ERA in the majors at 1.62.

Despite enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and the Jays looking like bona fide contenders, Hawkins said he hasn’t changed his mind about hanging up his cleats after this season. “Nah, I’m still holding strong to it,” he said. “They say the best time to retire is when they don’t want you to. When they want you to, it’s already too late.”

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There’s only one person who can change his mind, he said, and that’s his 13-year-old daughter, Troi, who traveled from Dallas to Toronto for the first time earlier this week to watch her father pitch in his new threads.

“She’s been watching the games at home and she’s getting excited again,” he said. “The last year and a half she hasn’t been excited because we weren’t winning. But she’s starting to get excited. She’s texted me more than ever. She’s pumped. She’s excited about the whole Toronto Blue Jay thing.”

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