Six-Time MLB All-Star Announces Retirement After 15 Seasons

A former MLB star has made it official regarding his career. On Friday, José Bautista signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays to retire as a member of the team. He will be remembered by the Blue Jays on Saturday as he named will be added to the team’s Level of Excellence at the Rogers Centre. 

“There aren’t many names as synonymous with Blue Jays baseball as José Bautista, and it is our great honor that he will officially retire in a Blue Jays jersey,” president and CEO Mark Shapiro said, per ESPN. “On behalf of a generation of Blue Jays fans that had the privilege of watching his clutch moments on the field and inspiring work ethic — thank you, José, for a mesmerizing decade representing the Toronto Blue Jays.”  

Bautista was a member of the Blue Jays from 2008-2017. Before joining Toronto, Bautista was with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2004 to 2008. He began his MLB career in 2004 with the Baltimore Orioles but would also spend the 2004 season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals before landing in Pittsburgh. Bautista became a star with the Blue Jays as he was named to the All-Star team six times, won three Silver Slugger Awards and led MLB in home runs twice during his 10 seasons in Toronto. One of Bautista’s most memorable moments was when he hit a home run during the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers and did a memorable bat flip. 

“I kind of blacked out after the swing, hearing the roar of the crowd and the emotion of the moment,” Bautista told ESPN in 2021. “I don’t really recall anything in particular until I was catching my breath back at the bench. It was kind of weird because I wasn’t a notorious bat-flipper. I might have done it two or three times in my whole career, but now I’m kind of known for that, so that’s kind of weird.”

In 2018, Bautista would play for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies and did not play again following the 2018 season. He finished his career with 344 home runs and 975 RBIs with a .247 batting average.