Bautista pens heartfelt ‘thank you’ to Toronto
Joey Bats expounds on his love of city and fans ahead of Atlanta Braves debut
TAMPA Now that he’s about to make his debut for another major league team, former Toronto Blue Jays great Jose Bautista has something special to say to Toronto.
And from his words written in the Players’ Tribune, it’s one giant heartfelt hug to the city that supported him through the prime of his career.
Bautista, who went 1-for-4 in his Atlanta Braves debut Friday night against the San Francisco Giants, wanted to make sure Toronto fans know how he feels about them.
“Before I take the field tonight, wearing another team’s jersey. it just feels like there’s one thing left that I have to do,” Bautista writes. “One thing that I still want to get off my chest.
“I want to say thank you, to the Blue Jays organization, for wanting me in the first place. When you traded for me, back in 2008, I was a part-time player — closer to 30 than 20 — who had already bounced around between four teams in this league. But you gave me a chance, a real chance, to come in and prove myself. And that’s one of the things that I will always appreciate about Toronto as a franchise.”
Bautista says his years in Toronto were “magic” and that he existed on a “shared wavelength with the fans of the city.” And in particular, the man they called Joey Bats said he was proud of being part of the Dominican heritage so embraced by the Jays.
“One thing that not a lot of people know is how big of a deal the Blue Jays have been over the years in the Dominican community,” Bautista wrote. “The Jays were one of the very first franchises to really invest in the DR, and to open up a baseball academy there. And because of that — not to mention the fact that they were putting up those World Series banners — they became the favourite team of a lot of Dominican people.
“And it seems like there’s just always been this unique chemistry between the city and its Dominican players, from George Bell, to Tony Fernandez, to Juan Guzman, to me and Edwin (Encarnacion), to even looking into the future with Vlad Guerrero Jr. — man, it’s this special thing.”
And finally, Bautista gave his thoughts of the playoff years with the Jays and what it meant both to him, his teammates and the fans.
“I know a lot of guys, they work extremely hard for their entire careers, and they never get to sniff the playoffs, or even a pennant race,” Bautista said. “And I’m just so grateful, to have gotten to go on that journey with all of you.
“We really did feel like we were representing all of Canada during those playoff runs. And it meant everything to us. We might not have won the whole thing, but it’s like I said: It felt like we put Toronto baseball back where it belongs. It felt like we sent out this big reminder to the world, after all these years, to not sleep on the Blue Jays, to not sleep on this city.
“Because this city, man, this city can ball its heart out. And I’ll never forget it.”
It felt like we sent out this big reminder to the world, after all these years, to not sleep on the Blue Jays, to not sleep on this city.