It’s a crossover we didn’t think we needed.
Per Ben Nicholson-Smith, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs will throw out the first pitch for Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees. 
The American-born centre finished the season with 106 points, including 60 goals, a feat that hadn’t been done since Steven Stamkos did in the 2011-12 season. Matthews was the first Leafs player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Most Valuable Player voted by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
The last time a Leafs’ player won the Hart, you’d have to go all the way back to 1954-55, when Ted Kennedy won it. Furthermore, the 25-year-old super won the Ted Lindsay Award, the Most Valuable Player voted by fellow players. Matthews is the first Leaf player in the 51-year history of the award to win it.
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Last season, he performed exceptionally, fitting for one of the best players in the league, and it’ll be exciting to see how he performs coming into his seventh NHL season. There’s a good chance that Matthews will only continue to get better, so hopefully, that could propel the Leafs to winning the first round for the first time since 2004.
Speaking of the Leafs, I’ll actually be writing for The Leafs Nation this season, so if you enjoy hockey along with baseball, keep an eye on that! Even though I love baseball and will hopefully work in it in some capacity in the future, like any good Canadian, I grew up watching (and wanting to play) hockey.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

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