The Toronto Blue Jays star Dylan Cease, who is among the frontrunners to win the American League’s Cy Young Award—given to the top pitcher in each of North America's professional baseball major leagues—appears to be about as comfortable at an easel as he is on the pitcher’s mound. His compositions in acrylic have garnered some positive reviews, with some observers likening them to street art. One of those works, Eve of Toronto (2026), went on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on Tuesday (25 August).
Fans flocked to the downtown Toronto gallery to see both the canvas and its creator, forming a line that at one point stretched to nearly two blocks long. Prior to its AGO showcase, the painting was reportedly on display in the office of Blue Jays manager John Schneider for several months.
Nobody seemed more surprised by the turnout than Cease, who said it was “pretty mind-blowing to come up and see the line”. He said that unlike baseball, which is “more warlike”, painting is “more forgiving”, adding: “I’m not having to be perfect.”
Dylan Cease wears a jumper featuring a reproduction of his painting Eve of Toronto (2026) Photo © Art Gallery of Ontario
The gallery is marketing its collaboration with the local baseball star under the banner AGO x Cease, with a line of merchandise that includes t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, tote bags, prints and postcards. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the AGO, one of Canada’s leading non-profit art institutions.
Though he had no formal training as a visual artist, opting instead for drama in high school, Cease said that painting has been a great stress reliever, especially as pitchers are always under pressure, only as good as their last outings. He said he has been dabbling with painting since 2022, adding: “Painting makes me happy, it helps me balance my life.”
Cease, who hails from Georgia in the US, came to Toronto in late 2025 as a free agent. His work off the field was a hit earlier this month at the Jays Care Broadcast Auction on 12 August, which raised around C$600,000 ($434,000) for children’s programmes across Canada. It included an original painting by Cease, which sold for C$16,000 ($11,600)—a striking result.
