Blue Jays to honour Jose Bautista on Level of Excellence during regular season
The Toronto Blue Jays will be honouring one of their greats on Aug. 12.
The team announced Sunday that it will have slugger Jose Bautista take his place on the Level of Excellence in a pre-game ceremony.
"Jose Bautista captured hearts and ignited a fan base as part of the team that brought Toronto back to the post-season for the first time in 22 years," said Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro.
"His on-field achievements propelled the team to greatness, and he undoubtedly belongs on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence."
Bautista was traded to Toronto in August 2008 from the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent nine-plus seasons with the Blue Jays.
The 42-year-old became a household name in Toronto, making six all-star games (2010-2015) and winning three Silver Slugger awards (2010, 2011, 2014).
He set the single-season franchise record with 54 home runs in 2010, while leading Major League Baseball. His 288 homers with the Blue Jays only trail Joe Carter in the team's record books.
In his 15-year career (2004-2018), Bautista had 344 home runs, 975 runs batted in and 1496 hits having also played for Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Baltimore, the New York Mets, Atlanta and Philadelphia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
'It didn't sound good': Mother shares what her sons went through with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Service Canada holding back 85K passports amid Canada Post mail strike
Approximately 85,000 new passports are being held back by Service Canada, which stopped mailing them out a week before the nationwide Canada Post strike.
Manitoba RCMP issue Canada-wide warrant for Ontario semi-driver charged in deadly crash
Manitoba RCMP have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for the semi-driver involved in a crash that killed an eight-year-old girl and her mother.
Taylor Swift's motorcade spotted along Toronto's Gardiner Expressway
Taylor Swift is officially back in Toronto for round two. The popstar princess's motorcade was seen driving along the Gardiner Expressway on Tuesday afternoon, making its way to the downtown core ahead of night four of ‘The Eras Tour’ at the Rogers Centre.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won’t have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Mother charged after infant dies in midtown Toronto: police
The mother of an infant who died after being found at an apartment building in midtown Toronto on Wednesday has been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.
Trudeau says Canada would 'abide' by ICC arrest warrant for Israel PM Netanyahu
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will 'abide' by an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.