Canadian Baseball Hall to welcome Class of 2025

TORONTO – Glancing crossed the Rogers Centre tract to spot his sanction connected the stadium’s Level of Excellence inactive leaves erstwhile Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista with a “surreal” feeling.

“It’s a bully reminder of the clip that I spent here, 10 years, it’s a agelong time,” Bautista said. “A afloat decennary and a batch of bully memories and a batch of bully times here.”

Sporting a achromatic Blue Jays jersey arsenic helium took successful a caller crippled with household successful a suite astatine the ballpark, the memories stay beardown for 1 of the franchise’s all-time greats.

The bat-flip homer successful the 2015 playoffs was his signature infinitesimal with Toronto but Bautista delivered countless highlights successful a Blue Jays uniform. Bautista, who played for 8 teams implicit his 15-year big-league career, volition beryllium inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame connected Saturday successful St. Marys, Ont.

“I got a telephone from (Hall director) Scott Crawford and helium broke the quality to me,” said Bautista, who lives successful Tampa, Fla. “(He) benignant of caught maine disconnected guard, but I was highly amazed but astatine the aforesaid clip humbled and honoured.

“It was a pleasant astonishment for definite and it was truly exciting.”

The Class of 2025 besides includes erstwhile MLB pitcher Erik Bedard, inferior nationalist squad caput manager Greg Hamilton, and Amanda Asay, a longtime women’s nationalist squad star. Asay volition beryllium inducted posthumously.

The Hall’s veterans committee has elected erstwhile All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fable Arleene Noga and Gerry Snyder, who played a cardinal relation successful bringing the Expos to Montreal successful 1969.

Noga and Snyder volition beryllium inducted posthumously.

Bautista’s memorable three-run bat-flip homer came successful a chaotic 53-minute seventh inning successful the Jays’ 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.

Trending Now

For a squad making its playoff instrumentality for the archetypal clip successful 22 years, it was a existent ‘wow’ infinitesimal for the existent procreation of Toronto fans. Bautista besides helped anchor the Blue Jays squad that returned to the AL Championship Series successful 2016.

His past play successful Toronto came successful 2017 and helium played for the 3 teams — the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — successful his last MLB run successful 2018.

Bautista deed a club-record 54 homers successful 2010, was a six-time all-star and won 3 Silver Slugger awards. He formally retired successful 2023, the twelvemonth helium was added to the Level of Excellence.

“What I’m astir arrogant of is conscionable being available,” Bautista said. “Being determination acceptable to lend and being 1 of those guys that was conscionable grinding.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published June 6, 2025.