Those in attendance at the Rogers Centre on Saturday were in for an emotional trip down memory lane as the Toronto Blue Jays inducted legendary right fielder and third baseman Jose Bautista into the Level of Excellence. Bautista, who signed a one-day contract to rightfully retire as a Blue Jay, went to center stage and addressed the Toronto faithful as he showed a video message he prepared for the occasion.

“You embraced me and my family as your own, and I can’t thank you guys enough for that. You guys treated me like an All-Star long before becoming one,” Jose Bautista said during the video, via The Athletic. “And all that mattered was that I was one of your Blue Jays.”

“I want to thank you, the fans, who especially during those crazy wonderful days in 2015 and ’16 filled the stadium, watched by the millions on television and lived and died with every pitch,” Bautista said. “I know for many of you, those memories will last a lifetime. We could feel your love and support. We played for the city. We played for this country. We played for each other. But most of all, we played for you.”

Jose Bautista arrived in Toronto via trade in 2008 and spent nine years of his career north of the border. As a Jay, he made the All-Star team six times (2010 to 2015), won the Silver Slugger award three times (2010, 2011, and 2014), and led the MLB in home runs in 2010 and 2011.

Bautista unfortunately never won a World Series with the Jays, but he still managed to provide the franchise with plenty of unforgettable memories. None of them were more memorable than the infamous Bautista bat flip after a three-run homer that sent the Rogers Centre crowd into absolute frenzy during their American League Division Series versus the Texas Rangers.