José Bautista felt “humbled and very honoured” to be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (Photo illustration: Yahoo Canada; Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB via Getty Images).
There are legendary baseball players — and then there’s José Bautista. A figure who, at least to Toronto Blue Jays fans, is in a league of his own. During his 10 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, the six-time MLB All-Star blossomed into “one of the best power hitters” in the league — and a superstar player on Canadian soil.
The Dominican-born athlete helped the Jays break a 23-year postseason drought — the longest playoff drought by any North American professional sports team at the time — was a top-10 MVP vote-getter four times, and produced one of the most memorable home runs in Blue Jays history — the iconic bat flip.
José Bautista produced one of the most memorable home runs in Blue Jays history — the iconic 2025 bat flip (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images).
Bautista parted ways with the franchise in 2017. However, he was immortalized as a member of the Blue Jays’ level of Excellence in 2023 and officially retired from the team after signing a symbolic one-day contract. He wrapped up his 15-season major league career with short stints with the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies in 2018.
As one of the greatest players to ever wear a Blue Jays uniform, the 44-year-old was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year.
In conversation with Yahoo Canada for OT Diaries, Bautista recalls how “emotional” he felt during the June induction ceremony.
“[I was] humbled and very honoured,” he says. “[I was] in awe. It was a pleasant surprise.”
While Bautista no longer lives in Toronto — he resides with his family in Tampa Bay, Fla. — he has previously called Canada his “second home.”
His high regard for Canada — and Canadians — hasn’t diminished since his retirement from the Jays. To read what Bautista thinks about the Great White North — and its “chirpy” sports fans — plus his post-retirement schedule, businesses and eating habits, scroll below.
As one of the greatest players to ever wear a Blue Jays uniform, José Bautista was inducted as a member of the Blue Jays’ level of Excellence in 2023 (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images).
You shared on Instagram that “Canada will always feel like a second home.” What (if anything) do you miss about living in Toronto?
Of course, I miss it. Toronto in the summer is great. I love the diversity. I love the fact that everybody is very educated, professional and looking to enjoy life. [Canadians] are very welcoming and very polite. I miss being out and about and enjoying the vibrancy of [the city]. But the diversity is the one that I always come back to — getting to know people from all over the world was always something that was very enjoyable for me.
How would you describe Canadian sports fans?
Ultra passionate. Canada and the Blue Jays kind of go hand-in-hand, so it feels a bit patriotic when you play for the Blue Jays and you represent the whole country. [Fans] can get rowdy.
I know that Canadians’ first love is hockey, and people can get chirpy, but some of that [chirpiness] also translates into baseball. They’re passionate, they’re chirpy, they love their teams, and they’re very supportive. I won’t say it’s the same kind of support when the team is losing versus when they’re winning, but they’re always there, and they always make you feel like they’re there.
I went through some ups and downs during my stay in Toronto, where the team wasn’t so great, and when we started playing better, you could see the difference in the stadium. Everybody was hungry and thirsty for a winner.
Canadian fans are “passionate, they’re chirpy, they love their teams, and they’re very supportive.” (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
You retired from professional baseball in 2018. Do you miss playing professionally? Or are you enjoying your well-deserved retirement?
I did a little bit at the beginning, I’m not going to lie, but then when COVID-19 hit, with all that uncertainty, I was like, no, this is it. Selfishly, it was kind of an easy way to close that chapter, even though the world was falling apart.
That said, the first year, year-and-a-half I wasn’t playing, I did miss it, and now I try and get those competitive juices flowing in different ways, whether it’s playing golf, riding my bike or playing pick-up soccer with some buddies in Tampa, and that’s good enough.
You get out of baseball shape, both physically and mentally, and it’s really hard to get back there.
Elite athletes’ jobs require intensive health and wellness routines to ensure they’re always at peak performance levels. But what do they do on their days off? And is there anything we can learn from them? In our new series OT Diaries, we ask your favourite players the things they do to get their minds and bodies ready for game day that have absolutely nothing to do with their sport — from how they unwind and what they’re binge-watching to their favourite eats, what products they swear by and what fitness looks like for fun.
Speaking of soccer, you bought a team: the Las Vegas Lights FC. Do you think it came as a surprise to fans that an iconic baseball player acquired a soccer team?
I think it was a surprise, but at the end of the day, business is business, and good investments are good investments. I’m always driven by taking advantage of good opportunities in business and I’ve always been a fan of soccer.
Since retirement, you’ve partnered with Mary Brown’s Chicken and you’ve been busy launching and investing in different businesses. Outside of work, how are you spending your time?
I always work out, spend time with family and just enjoy life. Life is plenty busy when you have four daughters and three dogs.
Have your eating habits changed since you were playing professionally?
I’m way less conscious of what I eat now, but I do try and negate whatever ill effects of eating more with more physical activity. I always try to be mindful of that. I wouldn’t say I eat recklessly, but I don’t have as many rules because I don’t need to be as physically productive with my body. I enjoy things a little more and I have more options open.
What kind of foods are you indulging in now?
I like food in general, no matter what. I like everything. I think there’s great food from every culture, every cuisine. I like trying new things, but nothing too crazy. I’m not super into seafood, but you know, everything else, I’ll try. My go-tos are probably Spanish, Italian and Greek food. If I had to pick something quick and easy, my go-to would be pizza.
When you were with the Blue Jays, you were playing dozens of games a year, plus practice. What did your recovery routine look like?
I think recovery is as much mental as it is physical, so I try to do both. Be mindful, do some breathing exercises, sauna and cold plunging, hot tub, and getting good sleep is always the best recipe for recovery. I did things that I knew would incentivize getting better sleep. I had my bedtime routine down where I’d start winding down, put away screens, relax and get ready for bed. When you’re disciplined and you’re habitual, you get into that routine, and your body knows it’s time to go to bed, so you fall asleep easier and quicker.
What is a non-sports related fun fact about yourself?
I’m not the most unplugged, super fun, you know, enjoy everything [kind of person]. I’m always somewhat connected and trying to be productive. So even when I’m on vacation or just hanging out, I always try to let curiosity lead the way. I am very curious. I always like to learn.
As someone who is ultra-productive, do you have a favourite productivity hack that helps you get through your days?
I stick to my routine, stick to the plan. I get some physical activity out of the way early in the morning, and it gives me a boost. When I don’t work out, I feel more lethargic, so I try and do that first thing in the morning.
Other than that, sticking to my routine, I would say I keep a really clean, precise, concise calendar. I try to make my meetings short — just get to the point. When you don’t, there’s a lot of chit-chat and a lot of wasted time. I get to the point. Meetings that used to last an hour now get done in 20 minutes when you get to the point. It still gives you time on the back end to catch up and socialize.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
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