Bautista, Encarnación revel in Toronto's City Connects, culture

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- José Bautista and Edwin Encarnación know how it feels to be the brightest lights in the big city.

The two are forever tied. When both Bautista and Encarnación landed in Toronto, they each were just another player. Bautista, 27 at the time, had bounced around the league and was acquired for a Minor League catcher. Encarnación, 26 when he came to Toronto, was a flawed third baseman who the Blue Jays briefly lost on waivers several months later before signing him back in free agency.

They are so beloved because they became stars in Toronto. They belonged to the city. By the time those postseason runs of 2015-16 rolled around, they were the faces of baseball in Canada, anchoring a terrifying lineup with MVP Josh Donaldson right alongside them.

It was a good time to be king. In town this past weekend for the Blue Jays’ launch of their new “Night Mode” City Connect uniforms, which nod to the city’s vibrant nightlife, these two know that relationship as well as anyone.

“Listen, Toronto is a great city. It’s diverse. But Toronto also knows how to have fun and a lot of that happens after hours,” Bautista said. “There are definitely a lot of different options in the night life around the city. It’s good to live in a place where, if you choose to and you want to partake, you have plenty of options. Toronto does know how to have fun and we experienced a little bit of that when we were here.”

Encarnación has been around the organization more lately, serving as a special assistant. This started with Encarnacion joining the club in Spring Training and working with some of its young hitters, but even established players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gravitate immediately towards him.

This is the man who hit 239 home runs for the Blue Jays. Behind “The Bat Flip," Bautista’s moment that will live forever in Toronto, Encarnación's walk-off home run against the Orioles in the 2016 Wild Card Game was a defining moment of that era of baseball in Toronto.

If the Blue Jays ever build statues outside this stadium, that moment would capture Encarnación so well, standing squarely atop home plate with his arms stretched straight in the air, watching his home run crash into the left-field bleachers.

“The thing I enjoyed most was when we came from being the Blue Jays teams in last place to first place. We made the playoffs and the city got crazy,” Encarnación said. “We enjoyed it. We were very excited about those moments and I enjoyed those moments because we saw the change with the city. Everybody came to the games. After the games, you could go out and see a lot of people in the streets. It was crazy.”

Encarnación likes the new look of the City Connect uniforms, too. Both of these men lived through the era of the infamous black jerseys, but these dark blue uniforms -- dubbed “Pitch Blue" -- are working for him.

“I like it. I like to see what they put together with the CN Tower. I think it represents Toronto,” Encarnación said. “I think it’s going to be great for this city to see these new uniforms. It’s hot.”

Bautista likes the look, too. Standing outside the Jays Shop Friday morning just after 7 a.m. -- the exact hour that any current or former player wants to see a baseball writer -- Bautista slid on a jersey himself to join the launch.

“I think they’re going to look sharp, especially with the fans," Bautista said. "I can’t wait to see the whole product. I really like the look. It’s really different, and I think that from time to time, it’s good to mix it up, right? This brings a different element to the fans, a different look and feel. I think fans are really going to take to it.”

Bautista looks like he could bat third tomorrow. Prior to Friday’s game, he was out on the field in full pregame gear, catching fly balls in the outfield and chatting with players. He even jumped into the cage for a few rounds of batting practice, and while he called himself “rusty," Bautista launched a few blasts.

These 2024 Blue Jays have a million miles to travel if they want to reach the heights of those teams Bautista and Encarnación led, but seeing them back among the fans and players, it’s a reminder of what life is like when you capture this city.