Life changed for José Bautista after his momentous bat-flip homer, but the former Toronto Blue Jays slugger felt rewarded with the blast's impact on Canadian baseball from coast to coast to coast.
The 44-year-old Bautista was into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, along with former Major League lefty Érik Bédard, junior national team head coach Greg Hamilton and women's national team standout Amanda Asay.
Asay will be inducted posthumously as will veterans' committee selections Arleene Noga and Gerry Snyder in a ceremony in St. Marys, Ont., on June 7.
"I think everybody remembers the big moments like that," Bautista said, referencing Joe Carter's World Series-winning homer in 1993 and Kawhi Leonard's buzzer-beating shot to clinch a second-round series win over Philadelphia en route to the Toronto Raptors' 2019 NBA title.
"It was one of those moments. I think that it definitely changed for me. Much more people wanted to embrace me and just share the love, not only for the Blue Jays but for what I was doing."
The three-run homer from Bautista in a wild 53-minute seventh inning and his celebratory controversial bat-flip propelled the Blue Jays past the Texas Rangers in the deciding game of their American League Division Series.
He felt the imprint his homer made on the country as he travelled on Blue Jays' winter tours.
"I saw the love and how big the turnouts were, the people's energy and emotion by seeing us and wearing their Blue Jays gear, and how they supported," Bautista said. "You can tell it was genuine, and you can tell it was massive."
Toronto acquired Bautista in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for catcher Robinzon Diaz in August 2008. Diaz only hit one homer in 139 career MLB at-bats, while Bautista starred for 10 seasons with Toronto, smashing a club-record 54 homers in 2010.
The Dominican Republic-raised Bautista splits his time these days with two sporting endeavours. He's the primary owner, chairman and governor of the Las Vegas Light FC of the United Soccer League. He's also a special adviser to the general manager of the Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Professional Baseball League.
As responsible as Bautista's blast was for an increase in talent at the grassroots level in Canada, Hamilton nurtured many of the youngsters currently sprinkled among MLB rosters in the last three decades.
The native of Peterborough, Ont., has coached MLB all-stars Jason Bay, Russell Martin, Justin Morneau, Josh Naylor, Michael Saunders and Michael Soroka.
"I think it's a really tight, close community in Canada," Hamilton said. "We're not in the United States and not some other countries that produce great volumes of players. But I think we've been great, and you have an opportunity to inspire."
The late Asay did nothing but inspire in her 16 years with the women's national team. The versatile trailblazer was a starting pitcher, played first base and loved going behind the plate to catch.
The Prince George, B.C. native's life was cut short at 33 as the result of a skiing accident in 2022. She was still playing but also had an eye on a coaching career.
"She loved playing and she loved coaching, which was the next big thing for her," said her father, George, who was with his wife Loris was on the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame conference call."
One of Asay's favourite movies was "A League of Their Own," which documented the All-American Girls League of the 1940s. Noga, from Ogema, Sask., was part of that league, performing at third base for the Muskegon Lassies.
She later served as a technical director for the movie, teaching Rosie O'Donnell how to field at shortstop and Madonna the proper sliding technique.
Snyder played a critical role in bringing the Expos to Montreal in 1969.
Bedard, born in Navan, Ont., briefly played with Bautista with the Baltimore Orioles, joining their rotation in 2004. He also pitched for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.
Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
