TORONTO – Jose Bautista feels the 2015 and 2016 Toronto Blue Jays seasons provided the most joy in his highlight-filled career. However, eight years later, the way the 2015 American League Championship Series ended against the Kansas City Royals still stings.
In advance of Bautista being added to the Blue Jays’ level of excellence this weekend, the retired slugger reflected on his 10-year path in Toronto during a media conference call on Tuesday.
“When I look back, 2015 is the one that kind of slipped away,” admitted Bautista, who is now 42 and resides in his Tampa Bay-area home, dedicating his time to being a devoted full-time father to his four daughters.
“Because of all the additions we made at that deadline, we caught fire in the second half after hovering around .500. We won a ridiculous amount of games in the second half.
“In 2016, we had a lot of guys banged up. In having conversations with guys in the past, we had a better chance [in 2015]. So that’s the one everybody was a little more disappointed at the end. But we enjoyed it. Those were the two most fun years of playing baseball in my whole life.”
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