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Bautista, Encarnacion forever part of Blue Jays
- Updated: October 20, 2016
TORONTO — Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have seen it all during their time with the Blue Jays: The half-empty stadium that turned into the city’s hottest ticket. The last-place finishes that eventually became an American League East title. The return of meaningful baseball to the Great White North.
In a lot of ways, Bautista and Encarnacion were the ones who helped put this sport back on the map in Toronto. Within the span of eight years, the Blue Jays went from being regular-season fodder for the Yankees and Red Sox to legitimate contenders and then division champions. They have been big-time players, playing in what turned out to be a big-time market.
Nobody would have expected that back in 2009, when these Dominican players became teammates for the first time. They didn’t know much about the city, the country, even the league. Eight seasons later, the duo is among the franchise’s all-time leaders in every major offensive category, and the Blue Jays are fresh off a pair of back-to-back appearances in the AL Championship Series. Their runs here may have ended with a 3-0 loss to the Indians in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday, but their influence will linger for years.
Game Date Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 14 CLE 2, TOR 0 Gm 2 Oct. 15 CLE 2, TOR 1 Gm 3 Oct. 17 CLE 4, TOR 2 Gm 4 Oct. 18 TOR 5, CLE 1 Gm 5 Oct. 19 CLE 3, TOR 0 • ALCS coverageShop for postseason gear: Blue Jays | Indians
“I’m really happy and really proud to be the face of this franchise with Jose,” Encarnacion said through an interpreter after his team was ousted by Cleveland. “It was really hard for me during my first years here, but I thank the fans and the organization for being patient with me, and I accomplished whatever I wanted to accomplish during my time here.”
The big question now is whether Wednesday’s loss was the end. Bautista and Encarnacion are both set to hit free agency in the coming weeks, and there’s no guarantee that either player will return. Neither one of them will admit it, but it’s almost impossible …
