Cimber on returning to Rogers Centre

Adam Cimber’s first glimpse of the Rogers Centre was a virtual one. Growing up with a Nintendo 64 console, Cimber used to see the ballpark (then called SkyDome) on a video game called Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.

“It looked exactly the same,” said Cimber, a West Coaster whose favorite team was the Mariners. “Weirdly, I think back to my childhood, and actually experiencing it in real life, it’s really cool. I’m excited to get back there and hopefully make some good memories playing there.”

For now, the Rogers Centre memory that sticks with Cimber is the walk-off home run he allowed to Kevin Pillar in September 2018. But he also recalls looking up during warmups and seeing the CN Tower standing over the stadium’s open roof.

Later this week, when the Blue Jays return to Toronto, he can start making new memories with the home team.

“I think I’m just looking forward to seeing the city itself in Toronto,” Cimber said. “Obviously I’ve seen the visitors’ side, and the hotel that we stayed at last time, but I haven’t really gone out and done a whole lot in the city itself.”

Blue Jays fans should look forward to what the reliever can do on the mound, too, given how he’s fared since Toronto acquired him from the Marlins on June 29. In 10 innings, Cimber has allowed just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out five.

More importantly, perhaps, he hasn’t allowed any of his eight inherited runners to score. That’s something he takes particular pride in.

“I think any time you’re in with guys on base, there is a little bit of heightened awareness,” Cimber said. “You’re trying to help your buddy out and get the job done for him. If they were yours, obviously you’d want to keep them there, too. But I think there’s something definitely a little more special about helping your buddy out than worrying about yourself.”

Cimber’s worry-free outings are exactly what the Blue Jays need as they push for a playoff spot amid a crowded American League East. Moving midseason from a rebuilder to a contender is something Cimber went through before, heading from the Padres to the Indians in 2018, and he knows that comes with an altered vibe in the clubhouse.

“You go into every game with a little more urgency, a little bit more mindfulness on the here and now, [knowing] that this game means a lot,” Cimber said. “I think when you’re not really contending, there’s not so much of that. It’s a little bit more relaxed.

“Not that we’re not relaxed, by any means. But I think that we know every game matters.”

Perhaps a tense playoff push can be eased a bit by the Blue Jays’ return to their proper home. Cimber said he’s hoping Toronto isn’t “too locked down,” to which one reporter noted that patios around the city are open.

“All right, cool,” Cimber said. “I’ll need some recommendations.”