Toronto Blue Jays: Being thankful for the Jose Bautista bat flip four years later
Four years ago today, Jose Bautista hit one of the more iconic home runs in recent memory for the Toronto Blue Jays.
It’s hard to believe that four years ago today Jose Bautista sent Toronto Blue Jays fans at Rogers Centre into a frenzy with one swing of the bat off Sam Dyson.
Of course, Joe Carter‘s home run to win the World Series should live forever as the top moment in Blue Jays’ history along with the first title win in 1992. Even though Torontoever won anything in 2015, the Bautista home run should be right behind them when it comes to the emotional significance it still has today.
When you consider how much that bat flipped was talked about and how it clinched that series for good, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s still being celebrated today. People thought that Bautista was disrespectful tossing his bat after hitting the biggest home run of his career while others loved the drama of the moment.
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The seventh inning provided one of the more intense moments in recent MLB playoff history when you look at how the Blue Jays lost the lead when the ball went off the bat of Shin-Soo Choo and no one knew what to do. Then the Ranger committed some questionable errors that allowed Toronto to tie the game setting the stage for Bautista’s heroics.
That bat flip has allowed more players to feel more comfortable with celebrating in the moment and also some to look dumb when they bat flip a single (we’re looking at you Rougned Odor).
Look back at Game 2 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees where Carlos Correa provided the walk-off celebration that would have made Bautista proud. His ‘bat drop’ to signify a mic drop was perfect in the moment because not only was it clever but it also sent a message.
Considering how much things have changed for the Blue Jays since 2015, fans should be allowed to go back and celebrate moments like this and only hope that the team can find a way to create more moments like this.
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What are your memories on the bat flip? Where does it rank on the all-time moments for the team? Let us know in the comments below.