Long before he flipped his bat, Jose Bautista was known around baseball as a demonstrative player. Major-league umpires had exchanged enough words and glances with him to form their opinions, and Darren O’Day already knew from experience that Bautista wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy a well-timed homer.

With two home-run titles and six all-star appearances before he got his first taste of the playoffs, Bautista was a bona fide superstar. But his style of play rankled some observers and the volume of overt criticism surged when, in the decisive Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series, Bautista punctuated a go-ahead three-run home run with a bat flip so formidable it’s widely known as the Bat Flip.

“Jose needs to calm that down, respect the game more,” Rangers reliever Sam Dyson said after allowing the home run. “He’s doing stuff that kids do in Wiffle ball games and backyard baseball. It shouldn’t be done.”

Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage later took the criticism up a notch: “Bautista is a f—ing disgrace to the game.”