Jose Bautista will rank among the greatest Blue Jays players of all time, and today he received a worthy goodbye from fans at the Dome.
Bautista went 2/5 with an RBI and run scored as the Blue Jays won in their final home game of the season. After his final at bat, John Gibbons let him take the field on defence, before replacing him with Ezekiel Carrera – a move done so that Bautista could exit the game by himself and the crowd could give him the reception he deserved.
Cynthia McLeod was at the game today and she captured the moment that Bautista left the game – get your tissues ready.
There were definitely some onions being cut at the Rogers Centre as the man who has represented the franchise for the past couple of seasons makes his exit.
In all of the good times Blue Jays fans have had over the last couple of years, it really has started and ended with the performance of Bautista. Of course, everyone remembers the bat flip, but his performance in the Rangers series, his beef with the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and several other MLB teams and his confidence in himself and his teammates really drove the bus.
Josh Donaldson was no doubt the best player on the field over the past couple seasons, but it was always clear who the leader in the clubhouse was.
If this is the end of Bautista’s career with the Blue Jays he received a well-deserved goodbye game with the fans he treated so well over the last couple seasons.
