Weese: Five most defining Blue Jays' moments from the past decade
Slugger Jose Bautista’s “bat flip” home run in the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers is the most defining Toronto Blue Jays’ moment from the past decade, according to Canadian Baseball Network writer, Lukas Weese. Photo: USA Today Sports
December 31, 2019
By Lukas Weese
Canadian Baseball Network
Let’s be honest. The 2010s decade for the Toronto Blue Jays was not always kind.
The last 10 years has seen its share of mediocre and underachieving Blue Jays teams. The first half of the decade was particularly disappointing.
But the Blue Jays’ fortunes turned in 2015 and 2016, when the club unified baseball fans across Canada with their back-to-back ALCS appearances. And though the team’s glory was short-lived, the feeling of postseason excitement hasn’t been forgotten.
With their current crop of young players making headlines (Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.), along with the recent signing of former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, it’s clear that the Blue Jays franchise is aiming to get back to the playoffs.
As the excitement for what lies ahead in 2020 and beyond is palpable, let’s take a look back at some of the team’s most memorable moments in the 2010s.
Here are my five moments that defined the 2010s decade for the Blue Jays:
#5. Jose Bautista hits 54 home runs (2010)
When Jose Bautista arrived with the Blue Jays on August 21, 2008, he had only hit .242/.325/.404 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 107 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates that season. His first full season with the Blue Jays in 2009 was not much better, hitting .235/.349/.408 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Once the 2010 campaign started,however, Bautista became a different player. He worked with Blue Jays hitting coach Dwayne Murphy and manager Cito Gaston, putting an emphasis on a shortened swing, so his bat could move through the strike zone with force.
The swing changes he implemented, plus improving his defensive skills in right field, turned Bautista into a complete player. In 2010, Bautista became one of the premier power hitters in baseball, belting a league best 54 home runs. Bautista clubbed his 50th home run of the season off of Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.
The following season, Bautista socked 43 home runs, which was tops in the majors. The 2010s for the Blue Jays could be categorized as the decade of Jose Bautista, given his productivity and impact on the franchise. And it all began in 2010, where his 54 home runs was a career best and he became one of 27 players to hit 50 homers in a season.
#4. Blue Jays trade for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price (2015)
The 2015 season began in a similar fashion to the years that preceded it. It was marked by underachievement, despite having a strong hitting lineup with Josh Donaldson, Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
As the trade deadline approached in July, the Blue Jays were one game below .500 (50-51). Instead of selling assets, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos decided to acquire players that would help the team win in the present.
On July 28, the Blue Jays sent Jose Reyes, Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman and Jesus Tinoco to the Colorado Rockies for five-time all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. Toronto would follow this up by acquiring starting pitcher David Price from the Detroit Tigers for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt.
These moves would enhance the infield defence with Tulowitzki at shortstop, while giving the Blue Jays depth in their bullpen with Hawkins and an ace in Price. After acquiring those pieces, the Blue Jays would go 43-18 in the second half of the season, propelling them to an AL East division title.
The Blue Jays’ strong second half was a result of dominant hitting, led by Josh Donaldson, whose .297/.371/.568, 41 HRs and 123 RBIs (league-leading) earned him MVP honours. David Price would go 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA, injecting a winning mentality into the Blue Jays rotation.
Their first playoff appearance of the decade saw the Blue Jays advance to the ALCS, only to lose to the Kansas City Royals in six games. The successful second half, as a result of Anthopoulous’ trades, injected excitement into a Blue Jays fanbase that had been deprived of postseason games since the club’s back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.
#3. Josh Donaldson’s slide home to win the ALDS against the Texas Rangers (2016)
The Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers developed a lot of bad blood over the course of the past decade. Stemming from the Bautista bat flip in 2015 to Rougned Odor punching the Blue Jays right-fielder in the face during the regular season, the 2016 ALDS between these two teams was promising to be highly tense and exciting.
The Blue Jays would dominate Game 1 on the road 10-1, thanks to an offensive outburst and a stellar Marco Estrada performance, and would follow it up with a 5-3 victory in Game 2, as a result of a three home runs in the fifth inning courtesy of Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Encarnacion.
With Game 3 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Blue Jays and Rangers were deadlocked at six apiece heading to the 10th inning. With Donaldson on second base, Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin would deliver a slow rolling ground ball to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. A series of mishaps by the Rangers’ defence paved the way for Donaldson to make a mad dash all the way from second base to slide into home plate with the winning run, sealing the ALDS for the Blue Jays.
It was a moment that personified Donaldson’s tenacious and fiery spirit, giving the Blue Jays its second consecutive ALCS appearance.
#2. Edwin Encarnacion walk-off home run in the AL Wild Card game (2016)
Like Bautista, Encarnacion came to the Blue Jays looking to become a more well-rounded player. His first full season with the Blue Jays in 2010 saw the DH hit .244/.305/.482 with 21 home runs and 51 RBIs.
With more time put into his swing, Encarnacion would emerge in 2016 as the MLB’s RBI leader with 127.
Encarnacion’s bat would be needed on a bigger stage, in the AL Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Orioles. Tied at two heading to extra innings, Orioles manager Buck Showalter left AL Reliever of the Year Zach Britton in the bullpen.
With two runners aboard, Encarnacion would launch a ball off of Ubaldo Jimenez to deep left field, out of the park for a game-winning three-run home run. With that the Blue Jays were off to the ALDS for a second straight season.
#1. Jose Bautista’s bat flip in Game 5 of the ALDS (2015)
Before Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS in the 2010s decade, Toronto sports was defined by disappointment. The do-or-die game for a spot in the ALCS between the Blue Jays and Rangers was headed towards a familiar narrative.
Disappointment.
The Blue Jays were alive heading to the seventh inning.Tied at two, Toronto had weathered the storm of giving up two early runs and were in a position to finally rewrite the recent history of Toronto sports. That was until Russell Martin threw the ball off the bat of Shin-Soo Choo, bringing home Rougned Odor. Because Choo was in the batter’s box, it was a live ball, awarding the Rangers the third run.
Boos and beer cans rained down on to the Rogers Centre field.
But the bottom of the seventh would change the fortunes of the Blue Jays. A fielding error by Elvis Andrus, a throwing error by Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland and an Andrus missed catch led to the bases loaded nobody out. Josh Donaldson would hit the ball over Odor, tying the game at three apiece.
It set the scene for one of the greatest Toronto sports moments. Bautista, the player who had been with the Blue Jays through their early-decade lows, would forever be etched into the team’s lore with one swing of the bat. A three-run homer, followed by an iconic bat flip, would give the Blue Jays a 6-3 lead.
Both team’s benches would clear afterwards. The baseball world had mixed reactions as to whether the bat flip was appropriate conduct. But Bautista’s bat flip would send the Blue Jays to the ALCS for the first time since 1993. And it sent Toronto and Canada into a frenzy.
Despite Bautista not being with the Blue Jays anymore, his impact on the franchise will never be forgotten. That clutch hit and the authentic emotion that followed defined the Blue Jays’ 2015 postseason run and the 2010s decade.