It was October 14, 2015. 5 years ago today, the iconic bat-flip meme came to life. In the bottom of the 7th inning, after fans had just stretched to prepare for the homestretch of the game, José Bautista did the unthinkable. It was a 3-3 tie, game 5 with the series on the line. 2 runners on base, 2 outs, 1-1 count. Fastball pitch incoming, Bautista winds up and hits the most explosive home-run, pauses and tosses his bat in the air with swagger. Even 5 years ago, this memory for Blue Jays fans and any Canadian baseball fans is one that does not fail to deliver goosebumps. 

Just like my last story on the Toronto Raptors being Canada’s basketball team, it is the same exact situation with baseball as well. The Toronto Blue Jays are the only Canadian baseball team to currently exist in the MLB. And when memories like the José Bautista bat-flip are in the media and being talked about again, it makes me reminiscent of how baseball was so much more popular back then. Or some could argue that the loyalty of baseball is not as steady as basketball. 

Overhead of Rogers Arena in Toronto – Courtesy of Pixabay

When was the last time you turned on the TV to intentionally watch a baseball game, with your undivided attention? Probably not as recent as basketball if you’re an all-around sports fan. According to statista.com, only 13% of 3,510 respondents watch all games and events for baseball. Whereas 46% watch main events such as playoff games. In hindsight, that is not a bad number for baseball, however the same question arises with the problem of only having one baseball team for the country. It makes it hard to see the worth for Vancouverites to loyally cheer on a team on the other side of the country. And in a similar case, most Vancouverites and Canadians tend to cheer on teams in the United States. 

Regardless of the statistics, Canadians will always have memories like Kevin Pillar’s outstanding superman catches and the José Bautista bat-flip forever.