Edwin Encarnacion potentially played his last game in Toronto following the Blue Jays 4-0 loss verse the Baltimore Orioles. The defeat pushed Toronto into a tie with Baltimore for the top Wild Card spot in the American League. With the loss, Encarnacion might have played his last game at the Rogers Centre. He told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, he doesn’t want the game to be his last in Toronto.
“I was just thinking about the game we lost,” he says quietly during an interview by his locker afterwards. “I want to come back here again, one more time, I don’t want to leave here like that. I want to come back here to the playoffs and give everything I’ve got to the fans.”
Encarnacion is a free agent following the completion of the 2016 season. The 33-year-old has been a staple in Toronto’s lineup for more than seven seasons, hitting 30+ home runs in the past five. He’s due for a huge raise in free agency and rumors in Toronto suggest the Blue Jays won’t be able/aren’t willing to meet a contract which will surely be worth hundreds of millions.
While Encarnacion wants to play at least one more game in Toronto, he told Davidi the uncertainty of next season is weighing heavily on his mind.
“Sometimes when you start thinking it’s tough because I’ve been here for (eight) years and I don’t know where I’m going to be next year,” says Encarnacion. “It’s a very emotional thing and it’s a very tough moment for me.”
If Encarnacion played his last game in Toronto, he should be proud knowing he’s been the team’s most consistent hitter for more than half a decade. Hopefully, he gets another crack playing at the Rogers Centre in a Jays uniform.
