Although the Toronto Blue Jays navigated an impressive comeback Monday afternoon to cap off their four-game series in Boston with consecutive victories, Jose Bautista put himself in dubious company with his performance at Fenway Park on Patriots' Day.
Bautista, who entered the series finale with a 1.139 OPS through his first 13 games of 2016, tied a Blue Jays franchise record by grounding into three double plays in the 4-3 victory, a feat accomplished by just two other players - Joe Carter and Alex Rios - since the team's inception in 1977. Prior to Monday morning's contest, Bautista had played his entire career - 1,416 games over 13 years - without grounding into more than two double plays in a game.
Blue Jays with 3 GIDP in a game
| Player | Date | OPP (Rslt) | WPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Bautista | April 18, 2016 | @BOS (W, 4-3) | - |
| Alex Rios | May 29, 2008 | OAK (W, 12-0) | -0.076 |
| Joe Carter | April 15, 1997 | KC (L, 7-5) | -0.299 |
Had Bautista grounded into a double play in his eighth-inning plate appearance against Koji Uehara instead of working a walk, the 35-year-old would've joined Joe Torre as the only players in MLB history to bounce into four twin-killings in a game. Torre, whose most unforgettably forgettable performance came on July 21, 1975, gave credit after that infamous contest to teammate Felix Millan, saying he "couldn't have set a record" without the three-time All-Star getting on base in front of him.
Needless to say, Bautista was more than happy to allow Torre to keep that distinction all to himself.