Former big leaguer Batista becomes owner of American professional soccer team Division 2 team acquisition
Former big leaguer Jose Bautista (43), who attracted the attention of many fans with his ‘bat flip’ and ‘fist fight’, became the owner of an American professional soccer team.AP reported on the 17th (Korean time) that Batista acquired a stake in Las Vegas Lights FC, a member of the United Soccer League Championship (USL), the second division of American professional soccer.“After retiring as a player, I have witnessed the incredible growth of American soccer,” Bautista said. “As a soccer fan and former professional baseball player, I am happy to be able to participate in the soccer world.”Batista, from the Dominican Republic, was a slugger who dominated the American Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018.
In 2010, he hit a total of 344 home runs, including hitting 54 home runs.He played for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2008 to 2017 and was loved as a franchise star.Bautista emerged as a ‘national star’ thanks to a scene from Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers on October 15, 2015.After hitting the final 3-run home run in the bottom of the 7th inning with the game tied 3-3, he looked toward the mound for a moment and held a ceremony by somewhat arrogantly throwing his bat into the air.
This scene remains the most dramatic bat flip ceremony in MLB history, but it also became the subject of criticism for not respecting the opposing team.Batista also got revenge with this bat flip.The following year, in a visiting game against Texas, he made a wild slide, and the opposing team’s infielder Rugned Odor threw a hard punch at Bautista’s face, drawing a lot of attention.Batista played in MLB until 2018, and then continued his career in the Dominican Republic.Then, in August of last year, he attended a retirement ceremony held by his former team, Toronto, and officially 슬롯게이밍 took off his uniform.