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Father of Blue Jays pitcher dies while visiting family on team’s road trip
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- Father of Blue Jays pitcher dies while visiting family on team’s road trip
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Braydon Fisher returned from bereavement leave on July 8, two days after he left the team.
Speaking to reporters in San Francisco , where the Blue Jays are playing the Giants, he revealed that his father, Normand, died of a stroke.
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"He was an amazing person," Fisher said. "There was never a bad day for Norm. He was always happy, always cheerful, willing to help anybody."
According to multiple reports , Normand Fisher was with his son on the team's road trip in San Francisco when he died.
Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reported that Fisher was visiting his high school and friends in the Bay Area when he suffered the stroke in a car.
"I don't think that for the last two years, you'd see him not wearing Blue Jays gear," Fisher told reporters. "Not ever. No matter the occasion."
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Fisher, 24, is in his second full season in the major leagues. The Blue Jays acquired him in the June 2024 trade that sent Cavan Biggio to the Los Angeles Dodgers .
Coincidentally, Fisher ended up pitching against the Dodgers three times in the 2025 World Series. He allowed two runs in a one-inning appearance in Game 1, but rebounded to make two more scoreless appearances, in Games 2 and 3 of the series.
Since his 2025 debut, Fisher has been a steadying force in the Jays' bullpen. He's 10-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 95 regular season MLB games — including seven this season in which he served as Toronto's "opener."
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Fisher last pitched on July 4 when he threw a scoreless inning against the Mariners in Seattle . Now, he'll attempt to carry on despite a shocking, unexpected tragedy in the middle of the season.
"The last two days have been the hardest days of my life and my family's life," Fisher told reporters July 8 in San Francisco. "I just wanted to come back and be with the guys."
