Jose Bautista played with four teams after being drafted into Major League Baseball in 2004. It wasn’t until 2008 that he found his true home with the Toronto Blue Jays. After he retired in 2018, it was only a matter of time before Toronto honored him for everything he achieved with the team. However, it went further than Bautista ever could have expected. After being inducted into the Level of Excellence by the Blue Jays in 2018, Bautista is the newest member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in Ontario.
The outfielder played for Toronto for a decade, making six All-Star teams and winning three Silver Sluggers in the process. He became the face of the team during the 2010s, guiding them into the postseason twice. Fans remember him for the most iconic moment in modern Blue Jays history.
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed Bautista into their ranks, chanting his name before his acceptance speech. The 44-year-old was emotional on stage in a video from MLB International reporter Hazel Mae.
“Jo-se, Jo-se, Jo-se, Jo-se
“
An emotional Jose Bautista enters the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
@CDNBaseballHOF pic.twitter.com/9q5quw6UCq
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) June 7, 2025
Fans consider Bautista as one of the best players in team history. Unfortunately he was only with Toronto for a decade. The former outfielder is top five all-time in runs, home runs, and RBIs in Blue Jays’ history. The only thing holding him back from giving all-time great Roy Halladay a run for his money is his lack of longevity.
Bautista accepted his spot in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday. His candidacy for the Baseball Hall of Fame is lackluster, but Toronto’s fans remember him fondly.
The former All-Star joins legends like Toby Fernandez and Pedro Martinez as the sixth player from the Dominican Republic to enter the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Blue Jays honored a big piece of their modern history on Saturday. When young players look to the Level of Excellence or the Canadian Hall of Fame for inspiration, they have a new legend to look up to in Bautista.
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