Looking out onto the Rogers Centre field and seeing his name on the stadium’s Level of Excellence still gives former Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista a “surreal” feeling.

“It’s a good reminder of the time that I spent here, 10 years, it’s a long time,” Bautista said. “A full decade and a lot of good memories and a lot of good times here.”

Sporting a white Blue Jays jersey while enjoying a recent game with his family in a suite at the ballpark, the memories remain vivid for one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

The bat-flip home run in the 2015 playoffs was his iconic moment with Toronto, but Bautista delivered countless highlights in a Blue Jays uniform. Bautista, who played for eight teams over his 15-year MLB career, will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday in St. Marys, Ont.

“I received a call from Hall director Scott Crawford and he shared the news with me,” said Bautista, who resides in Tampa, Fla. “It caught me off guard, but I was extremely surprised yet humbled and honored.

“It was a pleasant surprise for sure and it was really exciting.”

The Class of 2025 also includes former MLB pitcher Erik Bedard, junior national team head coach Greg Hamilton, and Amanda Asay, a longtime women’s national team star. Asay will be inducted posthumously.

The Hall’s veterans committee has elected former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League legend Arleene Noga and Gerry Snyder, who played a key role in bringing the Expos to Montreal in 1969.

Noga and Snyder will be inducted posthumously.

Bautista’s memorable three-run bat-flip homer came in a wild 53-minute seventh inning during the Jays’ 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.

For a team making its playoff return for the first time in 22 years, it was a true ‘wow’ moment for the current generation of Toronto fans. Bautista also played a key role in the Blue Jays team that made it to the AL Championship Series in 2016.

His final season in Toronto was in 2017, and he went on to play for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies in his last MLB campaign in 2018.

Bautista set a club-record with 54 homers in 2010, was a six-time all-star, and won three Silver Slugger awards. He officially retired in 2023, the same year he was added to the Level of Excellence.

“What I’m most proud of is just being available,” Bautista shared. “Being there ready to contribute and being one of those guys that was just grinding.”