Former Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista brings bat flip to Olympics
Stop me if you've read this before, but Jose Bautista delivered a clutch hit and capped it off with a picturesque bat flip.
The former Toronto Blue Jays slugger is currently representing his home country of the Dominican Republic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On Day 11 of the Games, Bautista and the Dominicans were playing against Israel in the Round 1 Repechage of the baseball tournament.
With the game tied 6-6 in the ninth inning and two runners on base, Bautista stepped up to the plate and didn't disappoint.
40 year-old José Bautista WALK-OFF to advance D.R. onto the next round!
pic.twitter.com/pPwETHQQjY— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 3, 2021
The 40-year-old delivered a base hit to score Yefri Perez and seal the game, then topped it all off with his signature bat flip.
I'm just seeing the photo of the Jose Bautista Olympic walkoff bat toss and, from a purely aesthetic level, it might look even cooler than the original bat flip photo?? pic.twitter.com/4YUqWpnHjv
— ℳort Crim (@matttomic) August 3, 2021
Of course, Bautista put the bat flip squarely on the map back in 2015 when he delivered this thunderous home run in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers.
Happy 5th anniversary to the Bautista Bat Flip! 🎉💪
Here's Joey Bats and some #BlueJays teammates reliving the moment.
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/MgS1OBPiqY— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) October 14, 2020
The three-run shot put Toronto ahead 6-3 in the seventh inning, which ended up being the final score of the game as the Jays advanced to the ALCS.
Any chance you get to watch the Bautista bat flip, you take it.
The win against Israel advanced the Dominican Republic to the Round 2 Repechage against the United States.
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