Jose Bautista Signs One-Day Deal to Retire with Blue Jays

In a gesture seen frequently at the professional level between clubs and popular players, the Toronto Blue Jays and former great Jose Bautista will do business once again, but only for a day. The former slugger will officially retire as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Jose Bautista to Retire as a Toronto Blue Jay

There is no shortage of incredible moments from the right fielder’s time with the club. True enough, he played for many teams (Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets to name a few), but his name is synonymous with the nine seasons he spent in Toronto. He earned six consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2010-2015 and was bestowed the Silver Slugger Award three times (2010, 2011, and 2014). All of those came when wearing the Blue Jays uniform.

But of course, it’s the fall of 2015 that even the most casual baseball fan recollects. His three-run home run at home in Game 5 of the ALDS versus the Texas Rangers is the stuff of legend. It handed the Jays a 6-3 lead they’d preserve to win the series 3-2. The bat flip is a meme unto itself. That the Blue Jays were down 0-2 in the series with two matches in Texas, yet someone found themselves in that position for Bautista to hit one of the great home runs in MLB postseason history is akin to a sports fairy tale.

For his career, Bautista hit .247 with 344 HRs and a whopping 975 runs batted in. His one-day contract with the club is in conjunction with his enshrinement into the Blue Jays Level of Excellent at Rogers Centre this Saturday.

The Toronto Blue Jays host the Chicago Cubs all weekend.