A tidy 2-1 win at Target Field this afternoon marked the end of the Blue Jays' 2010 season. It was the 85th win for this promising young club, and Cito's last game as manager. Jose Bautista went 0 for 3, meaning his 54 home runs are officially in the books as the new Blue Jays single season record.
54... I'm still shocked at how George Bell's 23 year old record was annihilated. I'm a guy who grew up under the amazing weight of Roger Maris' 61, so I'm still trying to digest the fact a Jay not named Carlos Delgado came within 7 of that mark. 54 homers ties Bautista for 19th overall in the history of baseball. Only 10 other franchises can claim a better single season record than 54.
In August, I wasn't happy with Bautista's pursuit of George Bell's record, but got over it a few weeks later. Now, I'm just proud of all 54.
Here's a nice montage of his first 52 this season, all hit to left field. It's time for The1995Man1 to update this video so we can all get a look at that one opposite field shot.
