Anthony Bass isn’t the first Blue Jays player to draw outrage from the fanbase

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Anthony Bass has landed squarely in hot water, which could cost him his job.

The veteran pitcher drew the ire of many after he shared an Instagram reel that supports boycotting companies like Target and Bud Light, which have invested in the LGBTQ+ community.

In April, Bass went viral after venting on Twitter about an unpleasant experience his pregnant wife had aboard a United Airlines flight. She was forced to clean up popcorn after the staff refused.

The post sparked debate about privilege and got so much negative chatter that Bass deleted his account. The storm it caused also exacerbated the fact that Bass has been a disappointment since being acquired from the Marlins last season.

It’s the latest in a long line of Blue Jays, who were forced to find a new team after falling out of favor with the fans and the city.

Anthony Bass isn’t the first Blue Jays player to draw outrage from the fanbase

Yunel Escobar

In 2012, while playing out the string of a lost season, Yunel Escobar thought it would be a good idea to write a homophobic slur on his eye-black.

The shortstop was suspended for three games, and the idiotic act spelled the beginning of the end of his time in Toronto. He was traded two months later to the Miami Marlins as part of the Mark Buehrle (among others) megadeal.

Tim Johnson  

The 1998 Toronto Blue Jays were a fascinating and successful team. Star veterans Roger Clemens and Jose Conseco were added to a young roster that included Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, and Shannon Stewart.

At the forefront was Manager Tim Johnson, who had spent seven years in the big leagues in the 1970s. That was after he had spent some time as a reserve in the Marines, never seeing active duty.

Johnson would go to the imaginary well of war stories, especially of fighting in Vietnam, to motivate and inspire his team before his secret was divulged in a relatively innocuous fashion. Clemens was to gift Johnson a motorcycle helmet with an emblem of his military unit. When “Rocket,” asked Mrs. Johnson for the details, she, unaware of the lies, told Clemens her husband had never served in Vietnam.

The team initially decided to keep the disgraced skipper, but by next spring, it was apparent he had lost the group and was fired.

The baseball fans in T.O. are vocal, have considerable influence, and will continue to use every avenue available to make their collective voices heard. Baseball players be warned.