In the summer of 2022, the Budzinski family — with its smiles and hopes for the future — was suddenly struck by an unexpected tragedy: its 17-year-old daughter, Julia Budzinski, died in a tragic tubing accident on the James River in Virginia.
From that moment on, MLB seemed to continue — with work, fields, and schedules waiting for no one. Budzinski quietly returned to his role as first-base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, carrying his pain with him, each day an internal struggle.
It wasn’t until 2025 — three years later — that he dared to open up, sharing: “There are no words enough to describe the pain of losing a child. It changes me forever.”
For Budzinski, baseball was no longer just a job — it became a bridge to his daughter’s memory. Every practice, every game, he felt like Julia was watching from the stands: the cheers, the smiles on every run, every goal — all were ways to keep her alive in his memory. “I hear the applause, I see the smile; that’s how I keep Julia alive,” he said.
After a long period of hiding his heart, Budzinski learned to see grief as a part of life — not to let it suffocate him, but to let it become a driving force, an inspiration. Returning to the field after the loss, he said: “Baseball became a healing medicine.”
The day the news broke, the stadium was eerily silent. Teammates and colleagues — from within the Blue Jays to even opposing teams — expressed their condolences and respect. A moment of silence before each game seemed to remind everyone: besides the game, there is life off the field — fragile, fleeting.
Teammates call Budzinski “a good person, a father first,” “an athlete of faith and perseverance.”
That support doesn’t erase the loss, but it eases the loneliness — it helps him realize he’s not alone in his grief.
Budzinski is a deep person: he believes Julia isn’t really gone — she’s in “a better place.” That belief gives him the strength to move on. “There are things that are beyond understanding. I believe there’s a greater need for Julia elsewhere,” he says, his voice trembling but firm.
For him, every time he steps onto the field — he chooses to live — for his children, for his family, for his faith — over glory, over scores.
Budzinski’s story serves as a reminder: Baseball — or any sport — isn’t just about winning, about scores. It’s about people, about the journey of living through pain, about family love and the value of faith.
Three years of silence, not because of forgetting. But because of keeping the pain to live on. And today, when Budzinski chooses to tell it — is when he brings to MLB, to the fans and to himself — a very real, very human, very real image.
For him, baseball is now not just a game — but a place to heal, to remember, to believe.
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