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Jose Bautista's historic night ends in on-deck circle

Exactly 22 years ago Friday, Joe Carter hit the most famous homer in Blue Jays history, a walk-off shot in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series that made the Blue Jays champions.

In the Blue Jays' biggest game in the 22 years since, Jose Bautista hit two more clutch home runs in Game 6, including a game-tying two-run shot in the eighth inning, but there would be no jubilant celebration afterward with the Royals overcoming the two blasts in a 4-3 victory.

Bautista became the first player in Blue Jays history with a multi-homer postseason game and set the franchise single-postseason record by hitting four homers in 2015. If the Blue Jays make it back next October, he will enter just two shy of tying Carter's overall Blue Jays postseason homer mark.

Joey Bats also became the fourth-oldest player with a multi-homer game with at least three RBIs in postseason history, trailing only a 37-year-old Babe Ruth, Carlos Beltran and Ted Kluszewski.

Both of Bautista's home runs were against fastballs in the upper half of the zone or above, the first being a 431-foot moon shot. That should be no surprise, as over the past five regular seasons, Bautista is tied with Albert Pujols for the most home runs in baseball against high fastballs, with both players hitting 62 long balls against the pitch.

Bautista also became the seventh player with multiple homers in a League Championship Series elimination game, last done by Adrian Gonzalez in a 2013 victory by the Dodgers over the Cardinals. Bautista is the third player with a multi-homer game in an LCS elimination loss, joining Miguel Cabrera in the 2011 ALCS and Reggie Jackson in the 1971 ALCS.

Unfortunately for Bautista, his homers accounted for all the runs the Blue Jays would score as Wade Davis snuffed out a ninth-inning rally with runners on second and third, yet after hitting the go-ahead homer in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Rangers, Bautista turned in another performance for the ages.

Bautista had the best view in the house of the final out as he was in the on-deck circle when Josh Donaldson grounded out weakly to end the game.

If Donaldson had walked or gotten hit by the pitch, it would have been Bautista up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in a one-run game with his team's season on the line, a chance for his very own Joe Carter moment.

Instead, the Blue Jays' first postseason appearance in 22 years ended with a night of historic homers from a star slugger but without an iconic ending.