HOUSTON -- José Bautista can add another milestone to his impressive career after picking up home run No. 300 in Toronto's 2-1 victory over the Astros on Tuesday night.
Bautista became the 10th active player to reach the 300-plateau with a solo shot off Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.. The blast was like many of his previous home runs, a no-doubter to left, and it put him in a club that also includes Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Adrián Beltré, Prince Fielder, Carlos Beltrán, Mark Teixeira and Ryan Howard.
"It's always a friendly reminder that you've been doing this a long time and you've enjoyed some success. You get happy about that, no doubt," Bautista said. "But right now we've got more important things to worry about, and I'll get to enjoy that in the offseason."
Bautista was able to retrieve the ball from a young fan after the game, trading it for a signed bat, another ball and a jersey that will mailed when the Blue Jays return home from their current seven-game road trip. The fan drove a hard bargain; as one player in the clubhouse said, "That kid is going to grow up to be a lawyer."
The most important thing is that the Blue Jays were able to snap their eight-game losing streak at Minute Maid Park and keep pace with the first-place Orioles. Toronto remains one game behind Baltimore after Baltimore's win over Texas on Tuesday night.
Bautista's home run is one of the main reasons why. The solo blast in the top of the third inning gave the Blue Jays the early lead in what turned out to be a low-scoring contest. According to Statcast™, the homer traveled a projected 402 feet. It left his bat at 110 mph, his personal best this season.
The veteran slugger now has two homers since being activated from the 15-day disabled list on July 25.
"I haven't given it a lot of thought yet, other than saying it feels good and I hope to continue getting these opportunities and see where I end up," he said.