JoSÉ BAUTISTA: A BLUE JAYS LEGEND
José Bautista was born on October 19, 1980, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He went on to become one of the most feared sluggers in Major League Baseball, best known for his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays where he became a franchise icon.
Bautista played college baseball at Chipola College in Florida before being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2000 MLB Draft. His early career was marked by frequent moves, as he played for four different teams in the 2004 season alone: the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Kansas City Royals, and then back to Pittsburgh. It wasn’t until he was traded to the Blue Jays (see artifact 1) in August of 2008 that his career truly took off.
Bautista’s breakout came in 2010, when he led the MLB with 54 home runs, setting a new Blue Jays single-season franchise record. His power surge shocked the baseball world and earned him the Silver Slugger Award and his first All-Star selection. He proved it was no fluke by leading the league again in 2011 with 43 home runs, solidifying himself as one of the game’s premier sluggers. From 2010 to 2015, Bautista was a six-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger winner, and a cornerstone of the Blue Jays lineup. In both 2014 and 2015 he had 30-home run, 100-RBI seasons, and in the latter year, he helped propel the Blue Jays to their first division title in 22 years. His ability to hit for power and get on base made him a fan favourite. Bautista helped lead the Blue Jays to back-to-back ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016, marking the team’s first postseason success since their World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.
One of the defining moments of Bautista’s career came in the 2015 ALDS against the Texas Rangers. In Game 5, with the score tied in the seventh inning, he launched a go-ahead three-run home run and punctuated it with perhaps the most famous bat flip in baseball history (see artifact 2). The moment electrified Blue Jays fans and remains one of the most iconic moments of the franchise.
After leaving Toronto following the 2017 season, Bautista had brief stints with the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 before retiring from professional baseball. Bautista’s legacy in Toronto is undeniable. He ranks among the Blue Jays’ all-time leaders in several offensive categories, including single season home runs. In 2023, he was inducted to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence (see artifact 3), cementing his status as one of the franchise’s greatest players.
Photographs appear courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays and MLB.com.
