Toronto baseball fans go wild as ‘Joey Bats’ receives recognition.

Jose Bautista Honored for ⁣Iconic Bat Flip

By Steve Keating

TORONTO (Reuters) ‍– Jose Bautista slammed 288 home runs as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays but the slugger was feted on Saturday for an audacious bat flip as much ​as his game winning hit ⁤as his name was added to⁢ the ‌Rogers Centre Level of Excellence.

There are only a handful of ‍indelible Canadian sporting moments, Sidney Crosby’s‌ golden goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics,⁣ Joe​ Carter’s walk off home⁣ run to win the 1993 World Series and Kawhi Leonard’s Game Seven buzzer in the Eastern Conference semi-finals that sent the Toronto Raptors on their way to an NBA championship among⁤ them.

Bautista’s moment stands out in that it did not contribute to a title but was seen⁤ by many as a catalyst for a cultural ⁣shift in the sport, signalling ⁢to players that they ⁣could show emotions and personality on the diamond.

Deadlocked at⁣ 3-3 in the seventh inning of the ill-tempered fifth and​ final game of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, Bautista crushed a⁤ three run homer that would earn ‍Toronto a dramatic 6-3 victory.

As the ball sailed over the left field fence, Bautista⁤ stood ⁤like ⁣a statue ⁢admiring his work before⁣ turning and violently tossing his bat in a gesture that was as much defiance as it was celebration.

“I wasn’t planning to flip the bat, I never thought about it in advance,” Bautista told Toronto Life after signing a one day contract on Friday that allowed him ⁢to retire as a⁢ Blue Jay.

“It was a reaction to⁣ the moment, and then the stadium exploded.

“I don’t remember anything after I hit the ball.

“I was surprised by some of the conversations that happened after the fact. A lot of people tried to turn it into a debate about⁢ disrespecting the unwritten rules ​of baseball.

“There were definitely two camps, but look at today: bat flips are way ⁢more accepted across ‌the league. Everybody loves them.”

‘Joey Bats’⁢ signature bat flip⁣ is now imitated at ball diamonds across North America ‍from pee wee to the major leagues,​ but in the immediate aftermath the​ emotional Dominican came under widespread⁤ criticism.

The ‍outfielder’s swagger was labelled as disrespectful to Rangers pitcher Sam Dyson in particular and the sport in general.

But eight years later players are expressing⁣ themselves ​at every opportunity from choreographed home run ⁤rituals to post ⁣game celebrations.

“It was an honour to ‌play​ for you,” Bautista told the capacity crowd before his name was revealed on ⁢the Level of Excellence.

“There is a baseball game to be played ⁢I don’t want to delay it any further. Let’s‌ play‍ ball”

(Reporting by Steve‌ Keating in Toronto)

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