'One of your Blue Jays': Bautista inducted into Level of Excellence

TORONTO -- José Bautista is back where he belongs, forever a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bautista’s name was unveiled on the club’s Level of Excellence on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. It was an emotional, 40-minute ceremony ahead of the game against the Cubs, featuring many of the slugger’s former teammates and coaches. Former managers Cito Gaston and John Gibbons earned incredible roars from the home crowd, while Edwin Encarnación, Justin Smoak, Russell Martin and many more teammates brought back memories of those postseason teams from 2015-16.

But there is only one Bautista.

A sold-out Rogers Centre crowd erupted as Bautista took the field, those cheers and chants continuing through his ceremony and speech.

“You embraced me and my family as your own, and I cannot thank you enough for that,” Bautista said. “You treated me like an All-Star long before becoming one, and all that mattered was that I was one of your Blue Jays. That will not be forgotten, and I will always be proud to represent you.”

Along with video tributes for Bautista, the Blue Jays made a $100,000 donation to Holland Bloorview Kids Hospital in honor of Bautista’s charitable efforts. Jays Care also announced the creation of the Joey Bats All-Star Award for athletes, coaches and youth across their programs, which will be awarded to six athletes each season.

There were Muskoka chairs, a diamond No. 19 chain and a jersey to commemorate the one-day contract Bautista signed with the Blue Jays on Friday to retire as a member of the organization.

Even Bautista’s ceremonial first pitch had a special touch, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. behind home plate to catch it. Guerrero embraced Bautista and had him autograph the baseball to commemorate the day.

Guerrero, like so many of these young Blue Jays who came up through the organization, has a tremendous amount of respect for Bautista and those postseason teams.

“It’s about the sacrifices and desire you put in, day in and day out, when you’re playing,” Guerrero said through a club interpreter. “When you’re done, to see the organization give all that love back to you, that’s when you can really appreciate all that you did back when you were playing.”

Over 10 incredible seasons in Toronto, Bautista did more than just hit 288 home runs and pen one of the club’s greatest moments with The Bat Flip. It was Bautista’s playing style and attitude that set the identity for those clubs, which put baseball back on the map across Canada with those unforgettable postseason runs.