TORONTO – It was a moment to remember for Josh Donaldson. And his mother.

After receiving three more awards arising from his MVP season in 2015, the Blue Jays third baseman got to catch the ceremonial first pitch from his mother, Lisa French, prior to Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.

The ultra-competitive Donaldson, a lean 30-year-old Floridian seemingly always willing to experiment with his barber, acknowledged later he usually likes to “get locked in” before games. But this day was different.

“It was a neat moment … It was a special moment for her and for me. Like I said, I won’t forget it.”

Not everyone gets to have their Mom on the field.

“I know how proud my mother is of me. We have a great relationship and to be able to share that, it’s a memory that will last a lifetime,” said Donaldson.

Tens of thousands of heads were bobbing in approval from the full house of 46,300.

Lineups stretched for blocks almost 2 1/2 hours before first pitch against the A’s, Donaldson’s former team, with fans waiting patiently to get their hands on one of 20,000 Josh Donaldson MVP bobbleheads.

Donaldson, the reigning AL MVP, was presented Sunday with his Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting third baseman in the American League, as well as Players Choice Awards as 2015 Player of the Year and AL Outstanding Player to a standing ovation.

Donaldson hit .297 last year with 41 home runs and led the AL in runs (122), RBIs (123), total bases (352) and sacrifice flies (10). He also led the majors with 20 game-winning RBIs to help the Jays finish first in the AL East.

He has not missed a beat this year, slugging his seventh homer of the season Saturday in the Jays’ 19th game of the season. It took him 30 games to hit seven last season.

Prior to play Sunday, the six-foot-one 210-pounder ranked first in the AL in home runs (7) and RBIs (19), second in total bases (53), third in slugging percentage (.680), and tied for fourth in total hits (23). Fourteen of those hits were for extra bases.

Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a double and scored two runs Sunday.

“There’s nothing like your bobblehead day,” said infielder Darwin Barney. “It’s a good day.

“The guy deserves everything that’s coming his way. He really leads this team by example and his work ethic. When he goes, we all want to go. You can’t get complacent when there’s one of the best players in the game who’s getting himself ready to play every single day. It just spreads. I think our team really feeds off that.”

Donaldson received his AL MVP trophy from 1987 winner George Bell prior to the home opener April 8 against a backdrop of giant MVP letters behind second base. He celebrated by hitting a grand slam that day, only to see Brock Holt match him in an 8-7 Boston comeback win.

The presentations continued Sunday.

Manager John Gibbons handed Donaldson his Players Choice Awards, which are decided by a vote of major leaguers.

“Josh is a special guy. Besides how good he is on the field, the production he’s giving us,” Gibbons told reporters later. “He’s a different kind of guy, no doubt about that. But he’s got a huge heart.

“He really does everything right on the baseball field. He’s talented, but he plays to win. He plays when he’s hurt. He’s got one thing on his mind, that’s to win. Every team could always use a few more of those guys.”

In recognition of his outstanding 2015 season, the Major League Baseball Players Trust is donating $70,000 to the charitable organizations of Donaldson’s choice, $50,000 of which he has directed to his alma mater Faith Academy in Mobile, Ala.

The Players Choice Awards winners were first announced in November, as selected by players Sept. 16, 2015, in league-wide balloting.

Zack Greinke of the L.A. Dodgers and Washington’s Bryce Harper were finalists for player of the year. Seattle’s Nelson Cruz and the Angels’ Mike Trout were AL finalists for outstanding player.

The Silver Slugger Awards, voted on by the coaches and managers, are given to the most outstanding offensive player at each position in the AL and NL.

Asked what he does with his bobbleheads, Donaldson said he would probably give them away. “Or my Mom takes them.”

“But I thought they did a good job on it,” he said of the MVP bobblehead. “It’s pretty cool to have your own bobblehead, I guess.”

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