Robinzon Diaz – Catcher.
During his two year MLB career, Diaz hit one home run, seven doubles, and swiped one base. The Dominican Republic native played in 44 career MLB games over those two years, only one of which came as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays – He went 0-4 with a strikeout.
Sunday’s showdown with the Yankees was meaningless to the Jays from a standings standpoint. The pinstripes had celebrated a clinched playoff spot in the visitor’s dressing room just one night earlier, the Blue Jays had, meanwhile, had been eliminated from playoff contention officially earlier in the month. What it did mean to the franchise was potentially saying goodbye to one of the greatest Blue Jays in franchise history. A man that has forever left his mark through his passion, his loyalty, and his determination to be the best. A man that falls into the top 5 in most of the franchise’s all-time offensive leaderboards. A man the Blue Jays acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2008 for the incredibly reasonable price of Robinzon Diaz. A man they call “Joey Bats.”
Jose Bautista’s contract option is unlikely to be picked up by the Blue Jays heading into the 2018 MLB season. $17-million is what it would take for Bautista to become a Jay again, at least in his current contract structure. It doesn’t make sense for the organization to spend that much money on a former MLB home run king that turns 37 in less than a month. It is not yet set in stone that he has played his last game calling the stadium endearingly referred to as the Skydome as home, but it is a distinct possibility that a new contract may not be reached.
On Sunday, the Jays community said a graceful farewell to the Jays legend. The stadium erupted when Bautista was sent onto the field alone to take his familiar position in right field, a spot he has devotedly patrolled for most of the past nine years. Cheers rained over him each time he stepped up to the plate, and it all culminated in a roaring ovation when he was replaced by Ezequiel Carrera in the top of the ninth.
With the emotional goodbye officially in the books, we take a look at the most memorable moments from Bautista’s storied Blue Jay career.
Clutch Batting
Joey Bats will always be remembered for his unbelievably clutch batting. For a number of years it seemed all but guaranteed that he would deliver given the opportunity in a clutch situation. These clutch moments include ending a game tied for the longest in Jays history at 19 innings, along with a few unforgettable playoff moments:
- In the 2016 A.L. Wild Card game, Bautista gave the Jays an early lead over the Orioles. They would go on to win the game and eventually advance to the ALCS.
- Game 6 of the 2015 ALCS, Bautista hits a game-tying homerun in the 8th inning of an elimination game, his second homer of the game. The Jays would go on to lose the game, but Bautista’s shot to left still showcases his touch for the clutch.
The most clutch home run Bautista hit is not in this section, we’ll get to that soon enough.
Cannon arm
Though he is mostly known for his bat, Bautista also has had one of the strongest arms in the league over his time with the Jays.
On September 22, 2015, Bautista made two incredible throws to cut down the Yankees baserunners. He has also thrown out the young legs of a blossoming baseball superstar, Bryce Harper. Shane Victorino’s had dangerous speed, but Bautista’s arm proved to be more lethal. The list goes on and on, but you get the idea – Bautista’s arm has thrilled Blue Jay fans for years. The list of outfield assists Bautista has picked up is seemingly endless, but the real number is 77 assists as a Blue Jay.
Revenge Homers
Another satisfying quality that Bautista has always possessed is his ability to let his bat do the talking. It seemed like every time a pitcher would take aim at the slugger, next thing they would see is a ball that just left their hand now leaving the ballpark at 100+ mph while stone-faced Bautista casually trots around the bases. He has done this to the Yankees, the Orioles multiple times (including an ongoing feud with closer Darren O’Day), the Rangers (remember the punch?), and the Rays (Watch out, Chris Archer). Seriously, it’s happened so many times.
Crafty Baseball
Bautista has such a cunning mind he seems to understand the game differently than others. Things that seem routine, he sees opportunity. One iconic example of that was when he threw out Billy Butler at first. Most right fielders would have accepted that as a run-of-the-mill single, but Bautista saw it as an out. Another example of his crafty gameplay is when he decided to swipe second after being issued a walk.
Also, did you know that Bautista has an inside the park home run?
Fan Engagement and Media and Social Presence
While Bautista’s attitude on the field was fiery and unapologetic, he had a softer side that he often showed towards the fans (and apparently the mascots).
The Bat Flip
This is the section you've all been waiting for. In one video, every single part of what Jose Bautista is to the Blue Jays comes out.
It's clutch: Game 5 of the ALDS, loser goes home.
It's revenge: The Blue Jays had just gone through one of the most controversial innings the game had ever seen.
It's fiery: The cold expression, the aggressive bat flip.
It's thrilling: The home crowd had gotten accustom to Bautista's drives to left field, none was more exciting than this one.
It's Joey: No other player could have pulled this off with as much passion as Bautista.
Without further comment, here is the shot that changed Toronto.
If Sunday was in fact Bautista's last game as a Blue Jay, the franchise has nothing but love. He didn't hit very well this season, but his presence on the team is iconic and unforgettable. You can be sure that the franchise's only 50-home run hitter's name will join the others on the Level of Excellence sometime in the coming years to the familiar chants of "Joseeeeee, Jose, Jose, Jose!"
