A Toronto Blue Jays fan who got her own Topps Now cards after getting drilled in the head by a 110 mph foul ball off the bat of Bo Bichette will now be auctioning off some of those cards for charity. Liz McGuire announced on X, formerly Twitter, that beginning this week, she will be selling a number of her cards with partial proceeds going to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Concussion Center.
Update: The @BlueJays reached out with a signed Bo Bichette ball ⚾️💕, a pair of 200 level tickets and an invite to BP. 🚨ALSO I WILL BE AUCTIONING OFF A FEW @Topps cards this week with partial proceeds going to @HBKidsHospital Concussion Centre #bluejays #tothecore https://t.co/Nh4fuMppPD
— Liz McGuire (@lizzzzzzzzzzy) May 22, 2024
McGuire was at the Tampa Bay Rays-Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre last weekend when a screaming foul ball went over the protective netting and hit her in the head, leaving her with a massive bump, a black eye and a possible concussion. The trooper and fan she is, McGuire stayed for the rest of the game.
“I hear someone scream far away and I get rocked,” McGuire tells Yahoo Canada. “Everything goes black. I know exactly what was happening — I got hit direct off the bat.”
McGuire posted what happened on X following the game and it instantly went viral. One picture showed the mammoth bump above her right eye and a second photo showed her with a black eye the next day. And to add insult to injury, McGuire didn’t even get the ball! Another woman in McGuire’s section ended up with the ball and wouldn’t give it to her despite fans chanting at the woman.
“I feel worse but I look better,” McGuire says to CBC Toronto. “I feel like trash.”
After McGuire’s viral moment, Topps reached out to her and made 110 cards of the picture she took outside the ballpark showing off her battle scar. Topps is giving McGuire all of the 110 copies — in “honor” of the 110 mph foul ball. She will now be auctioning some off to help the hospital’s concussion center.
𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡: We made a custom Topps Now trading card of Liz McGuire: the fan who took a 110MPH Bo Bichette foul ball to the head and STAYED AT THE GAME.
We produced exactly 110 copies, and we’re gifting them all to @lizzzzzzzzzzy.
Liz, you’re a champ! 👑❤️ pic.twitter.com/7B9eKyharg
— Topps (@Topps) May 20, 2024
“It’s been such a ride of people reaching out and supporting and wanting to see right being done,” McGuire explains to Yahoo Canada. “It’s pain, it’s adrenaline, it’s hope and joy.”
On top of raising money, McGuire will give some of the cards to her friends she was at the game with and her nephews and nieces.
The Blue Jays also reached out to McGuire and she will be getting an autographed baseball by Bichette, a pair of tickets and an invite to batting practice.
Topps has been jumping on viral sports moments this year that doesn’t involve athletes. Last week, Topps produced cards of Raquinho — the raccoon that delayed the NYCFC-Philadelphia Union match at Subaru Park. Topps also made baseball cards of the beekeeper who removed a swarm of bees that held up the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks game.