Marcus Stroman goes undercover at Best Buy to surprise fans

TORONTO – Just like he does every day during the baseball season, Marcus Stroman put on a blue uniform and went to work. He wasn’t taking the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays on this particular day, however.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

Wearing typical Best Buy employee attire, a hat to hide to his recognizable dyed blonde hair and glasses to complete his disguise, Stroman went behind the counter in the video game section at a Toronto Best Buy store to surprise unsuspecting customers. The stunt happened last month and The Stew had a front-row ticket to the show.

Stroman is the Canadian cover star for “R.B.I Baseball 2016.” MLB Advanced Media rebooted the classic “R.B.I Baseball Series” in 2014, but the 2016 edition is the first to be available to gamers in a physical copy. So who better than Stroman to inform fans about the new baseball video game on the shelf?

One after another, customers on the search for a new game to play on their consoles were greeted by Stroman, who was more than happy to direct them to “R.B.I. Baseball.” Some of them weren’t fooled by the disguise, while others needed some more time to piece it together. The reactions when they realized it was Stroman who was making the sales pitch were priceless.

There was one fan who was so sure it couldn't be Stroman that even an impromptu pitching demonstration from the Blue Jays ace didn't have him convinced.

Following the undercover operation, an autograph session took place at another Best Buy location in downtown Toronto. Stroman’s appearance here was no surprise.

[Related: Marcus Stroman graduates from Duke thanks to his torn ACL]

The line stretched out of the store and around the block, with some fans waiting over six hours for their opportunity to meet the pitcher whose vibrant personality on and off the mound has made him one of baseball’s bright young stars. Stroman has emerged as one of the most popular figures in Toronto and across Canada and he’s embracing it.

Stroman claimed to “be better in real life” when asked about his video game skills. The people he met, while disguised or not, can certainly attest to that.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr