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The Toronto Blue Jays are honouring José Bautista with a place on their Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre.
“José Bautista defined an era of Blue Jays baseball,” the club said in a statement Sunday.
“Now, his legacy will be forever enshrined in franchise history.”
On top of all the numbers that Bautista posted in his 10 seasons with the team, his place in franchise history was solidified when he hit the go-ahead homer during Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, followed by “a bat flip that shook the foundation of Rogers Centre and brought the entire country to its feet,” the club said.
The ceremony will take place before the Jays take on the Cubs on Sat. Aug. 12. The first 15,000 fans entering Rogers Centre will receive a Bautista bat flip bobblehead.
Bautista was traded to the Blue Jays from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 21, 2008. He was named an all star in 2010 in a breakout season with an MLB-leading 54 home runs, still a franchise record.
His 288 home runs as a Blue Jay trail only Carlos Delgado (336) for the most in club history. From 2010 to 2015, Bautista hit more home runs than any other player in the league, winning three Silver Slugger Awards (2010, 2011, 2014) and appearing in six straight MLB all-star games.
“I am deeply humbled and excited to join the Blue Jays Level of Excellence and be recognized among the distinguished names that circle Rogers Centre,” Bautista said in a statement. “Canada holds a special place in my heart and will always be home for my family and me, and we can’t wait to celebrate this honour with my beloved Blue Jays fans.”
The Level of Excellence is an award bestowed by the club to recognize individual achievement. Bautista joins a group with George Bell (April 9, 1996); Dave Stieb (April 9, 1996); Joe Carter (July 30, 1999); Cito Gaston (July 30, 1999); Tony Fernandez (Sept. 23, 2001); Pat Gillick (Aug. 7, 2002); Tom Cheek (Aug. 29, 2004); Paul Beeston (April 4, 2008); Carlos Delgado (July 21, 2013); and Roy Halladay (March 29, 2018).
Correction: March 6, 2023 — This story has been updated from a previously published version to fix that Carlos Delgado holds the Jays franchise mark for career home runs, not Joe Carter.
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