Blue Jays to honour Jose Bautista on Level of Excellence during regular season

By: The Canadian Press Posted: 11:39 AM CST Sunday, Mar. 5, 2023 Last Modified: 10:17 AM CST Monday, Mar. 6, 2023

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays will be honouring one of their greats on Aug. 12.

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TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays will be honouring one of their greats on Aug. 12.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2023 (979 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays will be honouring one of their greats on Aug. 12.

The team announced Sunday that it will have slugger José Bautista take his place on the Level of Excellence in a pre-game ceremony.

“José Bautista captured hearts and ignited a fan base as part of the team that brought Toronto back to the post-season for the first time in 22 years,” said Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro.

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) bats against the New York Yankees during seventh inning AL baseball action in Toronto on Friday, September 22, 2017. The Blue Jays announced Sunday that it will have slugger Jose Bautista take his place on the Level of Excellence in a pre-game ceremony. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

“His on-field achievements propelled the team to greatness, and he undoubtedly belongs on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.”

Bautista was traded to Toronto in August 2008 from the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent nine-plus seasons with the Blue Jays.

The 42-year-old became a household name in Toronto, making six all-star games (2010-2015) and winning three Silver Slugger awards (2010, 2011, 2014).

He set the single-season franchise record with 54 home runs in 2010, while leading Major League Baseball. His 288 homers with the Blue Jays only trail Carlos Delgado (336) in the team’s record books.

In his 15-year career (2004-2018), Bautista had 344 home runs, 975 runs batted in and 1496 hits having also played for Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Baltimore, the New York Mets, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2023.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated José Bautista trails only Joe Carter among Blue Jays home run leaders. In fact, Carlos Delgado is the Jays’ all-time home run leader. Carter is fifth.