One of the best third basemen of the past decade or so, Josh Donaldson, announced his retirement earlier this week. Donaldson, who is 38 years of age, had himself quite the productive career in the big leagues, establishing himself as a bona fide star in his heyday with the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays in the mid-2010s after floundering as a catcher earlier in his career.
Now, Donaldson’s decision to hang up the cleats has created a wave of nostalgia for those who appreciate the third baseman for being one of the best at his position over a seven-year stretch. Even Donaldson himself had to take a trip down memory lane, as he recalled the 2015 Blue Jays team that made the ALCS as the best team he was a part of during his career.
“The city of Toronto took fire,” Donaldson told Jon Morosi of MLB Network. “That was a special moment.”
Indeed, that season for the Blue Jays gave them plenty of memorable moments. No one would ever forget the time when the now-retired slugger Jose Bautista turned the tide for Toronto in the ALCS by flipping his bat so hard after hitting a towering three-run home run to give them the lead, igniting a raucous Rogers Centre crowd.
Josh Donaldson had the best year of his career during that season as well, so 2015 was certainly a memorable year for him. Donaldson hit the ground running with the Blue Jays after the Athletics confusingly traded him away in the offseason prior to that campaign.
The Blue Jays had their sights set on acquiring Donaldson from the A’s following the 2014 season, and it looked like Oakland was going to hold onto him as he was a star in the prime of his career making a pittance relative to his production.
