5 best all-time Jose Bautista moments with the Blue Jays

This Saturday, the Rogers Centre will enshrine its next name on the ring of honour: Jose Bautista. Five years since his last game in the big leagues, and six years since his last time in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform, Joey Bats will be instilled on the Level of Excellence.

Not only that, but Bautista is signing a one-day contract to retire in Toronto.

It was a no-brainer for the Blue Jays to give Bautista this honour, as he authored one of the most iconic moments in franchise history, if not baseball history. He also leaves a legacy as one of the best power hitters ever for the Blue Jays.

His 2010 and 2021 campaigns stand as two of the best single-season performances by a Blue Jays hitter, and Bautista’s three Silver Slugger awards, his six-time All-Star nods and Hank Aaron award were among the most impressive accolades of his career.

Along with the bat flip, he had so many memorable moments with the Blue Jays over his 10 year career in Toronto. But if we had to narrow it down to only a handful, these would be the most memorable moments of Bautista’s impressive Blue Jays career.

5. Bautista guns down Butler

It’s not very often you see a 9-3 putout from the right fielder to the first baseman, but every so often, Bautista would bust out this play on special occasions. Here, he caught Billy Butler of the Kansas City Royals at first base with a rocket of a throw.

Unfortunately, Bautista injured his shoulder on a similar play the following season trying to throw out Delmon Young of the Orioles during the 2015 campaign.

4. Bautista’s tra-la-la home run trot

Up until this season, the Blue Jays-Orioles rivalry was dormant for several years, but back in 2015 and 2016, these birds were at the height of their disdain for each other. And two players front and centre of that feud were Bautista and Darren O’Day.

Jose Bautista's "tra la la" home run trot is the best. pic.twitter.com/TSqPMcL3aj

— Ian Hunter (@BlueJayHunter) April 12, 2015

The two traded barbs back and forth over the years, but with this clutch go-ahead home run, Bautista trotted out of the batter’s box to mock O’Day for doing a similar motion in a previous game after striking him out.

3. Bautista with 2 homers in Game 6

This might go down as one of the most clutch postseason performances in Blue Jays history that nobody talks about. Toronto lost Game 6 of the ALCS in heartbreaking fashion to the Kansas City Royals, but not before Joey Bats did everything in his power to push it to a Game 7.

With the Blue Jays’ backs against the wall, Bautista hit two home runs – the one above a game-tying home run in the eighth inning. It wasn’t enough to force another game, but his Game 6 performance punctuated a tremendous 2015 postseason for Bautista.

2. This is 50

Heading into the 2010 season, the most home runs Bautista had hit in a single season was 16. But he showed signs of a potential breakout the previous year when he went yard 10 times in his final 26 games of the season.

Despite that September surge, his 54 home run season was one of the most unexpected outbursts in MLB history. That year, he hit a home run every 10.5 at bats, a mark he never duplicated the rest of his career.

He finished with 54 home runs total by season’s end, his 50th home run at home off Cy Young-winner Felix Hernandez was the signature moment of his 2010 season.

1. The bat flip

Think about how Blue Jays fans were created after this moment. No, we’re not talking about a Bautista baby boom. This was an instance that will live on forever. Eight years after the fact, this moment still doesn’t get old.

Entering the 2015 season, Bautista had the second-longest active playoff drought as a player, so you’re damn right he made his mark when the time came to play under the bright lights of October.

Joey Bats delivered the go-ahead three run home run in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, and while it wasn’t a walk-off homer, not many people recall what came after it because this play blew the roof off the Rogers Centre.

It wasn’t just the gravity of the moment; it was Bautista’s visceral reaction to toss the bat into the air after he hit the home run. And now kids at baseball diamonds everywhere toss their bats just like Bautista.

You might also like:
• How to watch today's untelevised Blue Jays-Cubs game