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Baltimore Orioles: Jose Bautista, aka The Baltimore Villain

By Christopher Church

Apr 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) is restrained by second base umpire Tripp Gibson (73) as he engages in a verbal altercation with Baltimore Orioles players prior to the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won 13-6. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) is restrained by second base umpire Tripp Gibson (73) as he engages in a verbal altercation with Baltimore Orioles players prior to the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won 13-6. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The fiery rivalry between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays have emerged in recent years mostly due to the many heated altercations with free-agent Jose Bautista.

It’s not a secret the Baltimore Orioles and their fans have no love lost for free-agent and enemy Jose Bautista.

Rumors emerged earlier this week during the MLB winter meetings that the Baltimore Orioles expressed interested in signing Bautista. Those rumors quickly ended when Orioles’ executive vice president Dan Duquette told Bautista’s agent; “We’re not interested, our fans don’t like your player.” Duquette confirmed the speculations in an interview with Sportsnet Radio 590 The Fan.

With that said, Orioles fans can collectively take a deep breath because Bautista won’t be in an Orioles uniform anytime soon, if not ever. However, the 36-year-old may stay put in the American League East as FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reported the Blue Jays resumed talks with Bautista.

With all that being said, let’s take a look back at the intense rivalry between the Baltimore Orioles and Jose Bautista.

June 21, 2013: Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays

The bad blood between the Orioles and Bautista ignited back on June 21, 2013, when Darren O’Day struck out Bautista to complete the seventh inning. O’day began to utter some words towards Bautista after hopping off the mound as he headed towards the Orioles’ dugout. Bautista shouted back, questioning the words of the Orioles right-hander, generating the start of an intense rivalry.

June 22, 2013: Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays

The next day, O’Day and Bautista would meet again in the eighth inning of a 2-2 game. Unlike the night before, Bautista smashed O’Day’s 3-2 pitch for a two-run home run that merely wrapped around the left-field foul pole to put the Blue Jays on top 4-2.

After trotting his way around the bases, Bautista and O’Day swapped words and Bautista displayed a hand movement to O’day translating that O’Day runs his mouth too much. The Orioles went on to lose to the Blue Jays, 4-2.

In a post game interview with the Candian Press Bautista revealed his remarks towards O’Day during his home run trot saying, “I told him just to keep talking like he was yesterday.”

April 12, 2015: Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles

Two years later, the two clashed again in Baltimore, reviving the fervent rivalry. With the Orioles down 8-7, in the top of the eighth inning, O’Day delivered a pitch up and behind Bautista.

Moments later, Bautista launched his first home run of the season to left center off O’Day, putting the Blue Jays on top 10-7. To no surprise, Bautista performed an elongated home run gallop and skipped around the bases.

April 21, 2015: Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays

Later in the month, tempers flared over in a Tuesday night game at the Rogers Centre. In the seventh inning with the Blue Jays in control, Orioles rookie pitcher Jason Garcia delivered his second pitch of the at-bat behind Bautista, just missing him by inches.

After a distraught Bautista had glared at Garcia, home plate umpire Mark Carlson issued warnings to both teams as an irritated John Gibbons jogged out to plead his case to Carlson.

On the next pitch, Bautista ejected the ball 412 feet as it went sailing over the centerfield wall. Bautista took his sweet time to cherish his home run and flip his bat before making his way around the bases. As he rounded second base, Orioles’ Ryan Flaherty had some heated words to give Bautista.

Tempers grew larger the next inning as Adam Jones and Bautista shouted at each other as the Blue Jays took the field.

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With Duquette confirming rumors that the Orioles don’t want to acquire Bautista because O’s fans don’t like him only adds fuel to the fire. It’s safe to say that the rivalry between the two that dates back to 2013 will continue in 2017.

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