Blue Jays' Hanson ditches No. 19 to honor Jose Bautista
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Alen Hanson inadvertently ruffled more than a few feathers north of the border during his first appearance with the team.
Hanson, who was traded to the Blue Jays on Tuesday, asked for and received No. 19 - the same number he wore with the San Francisco Giants last year. He then wore the number during his first game in a Blue Jays uniform on Thursday.
No. 19 in Toronto is closely associated with Blue Jays icon Jose Bautista. When Hanson took the field wearing Bautista's number, some fans became upset and voiced their displeasure with the 26-year-old on social media.
On Friday, after being made aware of the semi-controversy surrounding his number, Hanson changed to No. 1, according to Sportsnet's Hazel Mae. Hanson told Mae that Bautista - who also hails from the Dominican Republic - was "one of (my) idols" as a kid, and didn't realize that it was his number when he requested it.
This marks the second time this season a Blue Jays player has switched numbers to honor Bautista. Shortstop Freddy Galvis briefly took No. 19 in spring training but quickly changed his digits and now wears No. 16.
Bautista starred for the Blue Jays for a decade, and in 2015, authored one of the franchise's signature postseason moments with a series-winning three-run homer and bat flip in Game 5 of the ALDS.
Team policy dictates the Blue Jays only retire the numbers of Hall of Fame players. Only Roberto Alomar (No. 12) and Roy Halladay (No. 32) have been honored by the team in such a manner.
Other franchise legends are inducted into the team's "Level of Excellence" at Rogers Centre, though the numbers of those honorees (excluding Alomar and Halladay) continue to be issued. Bautista, who played for three teams in 2018 and is currently a free agent, has yet to be inducted into the Level.
Ironically, Hanson's No. 1 is also one of the most famous numbers in Blue Jays history, having been worn in the 1980s and 1990s by former All-Star shortstop and Level of Excellence inductee Tony Fernandez.
Other famous No. 19's in Blue Jays history include Hall of Fame DH and 1993 World Series MVP Paul Molitor, and former home run champion Fred McGriff.