The caption accompanied a photo of Votto posing with a judge and then holding up his right hand as he read the oath of allegiance in front of the judge.
“I was able to get it done in Cincinnati,” Votto told reporters Wednesday in San Diego, where the Reds were trying to avoid a three-game sweep after a 6-2 loss on Tuesday. “It was a really great memorable experience. Those are the only two pictures. I had my eyes closed in one.”
Votto’s Instagram post was his 14th since starting a profile on March 22. He has shared two photos of himself with his mom. He has posted two videos of himself dancing with other people and one video of him in front of the Eiffel Tower. He has 99,200 followers.
Votto also started a Twitter account in March and has 73,200 followers. On TikTok, where he has 151,200 followers, he has shared five videos, including one of himself in a dentist’s chair.
Votto, 38, was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983, and went to high school at the Richview Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, a western suburb of Toronto.
Among native Canadians, Votto ranks second in baseball history in career home runs (331) behind Larry Walker (383). Votto also trails Walker in hits (2,1,60-2,032) and RBIs (1,311-1,067).
Votto has been with the Reds organization since they selected him in the second round of the 2002 draft. He was 18 then and started his professional career in Sarasota, Fla., with the Gulf Coast Reds that year. He played in 171 games for the Single-A Dayton Dragons over two seasons (2003-04) and made his Reds debut in 2007.
“I‘ve been in the U.S. more than half my life,” Votto said, “and it felt like the natural progression. It feels like home here.”
Asked if he celebrated his new citizenship after the ceremony, Votto said, “I think that moment when you drive through the border and fly through the border is a celebration in itself. You have this confident attitude.”
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