José Bautista is calling it a career.
The six-time All-Star signed a one-day contract Friday with the Blue Jays, allowing Bautista to officially end his career with the franchise the right fielder proudly represented for 10 seasons.
“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,” Toronto president and CEO Mark Shapiro said, according to 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, 42, will also be added to Toronto’s Level of Excellence on Saturday at the Rogers Centre when the Blue Jays host the Chicago Cubs.
While the slugger played for eight teams throughout his 15 years in MLB, Bautista’s time with the Blue Jays from 2008 to 2017 cemented him as a franchise legend.
The three-time Silver Slugger Award winner may be most remembered for his heroics in Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, when he hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the seventh inning and emphatically flipped his bat before rounding the bases.
“Joey Bats” hammered 288 home runs in his decade with the Blue Jays and set the single-season franchise record with 54 in 2010.
“Maybe after I left, when you have some time to reflect, you kind of look back and see with the body of work and the longevity, being there for 10 years and being able to get consistent playing time, I was able to accomplish some good stuff,” Bautista said, according to SportsNet.
“Definitely happy and proud of all that.”
Bautista left Toronto after the 2017 season when the team declined his option.
His final season in the majors came in 2018, when he split time between the Braves, Mets and Phillies.
Bautista played in 83 games for New York, hitting nine home runs with a .204 batting average.
When all was said and done, Bautista played in 1,798 games, hitting .247 with 344 home runs. 975 RBI and 1,022 runs scored.
