Jose Bautista Hits 50th Homer of Season

Filed under: Blue Jays, MLB Milestones

Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista put an emphatic exclamation point on his breakout 2010 season Thursday afternoon, hitting his 50th home run of the year off Mariners ace Felix Hernandez in the first inning of Toronto's 1-0 win over Seattle.

Bautista is just the 26th player in major league history to hit 50 homers in a season, and the first since 2007 to cross the threshold. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder both hit 50 homers in that season.

"It's really a big honor to be put in that elite group of hitters," Bautista told reporters after the game. "To tell you the truth, I really haven't let it sink in yet, I haven't thought about it too much. Once I do that, then I'll probably have more feelings to describe. Right now I'm really honored and happy."

Bautista received hugs and fist bumps from teammates after accomplishing the feat, then stepped out of the Toronto dugout for a curtain call with the fans in attendance at Rogers Centre.

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