With opposing teams using the infield shift against him more and more, Jose Bautista says he is being “less stubborn and hard-headed” this season, adjusting his approach to hit balls to the opposite field.

“Early in the game, two outs, nobody on, I don’t really have a reason — if I’m behind in the count — to be trying to swing for the fences, so I’ve taken that approach and tried to hit the hole and it’s worked out,” he said after Sunday’s 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Heading into Sunday’s game, Bautista already had as many opposite-field singles this year — 17 — as he did all of last season. He added another in the third inning, poking a groundball through the vacated hole on the right side of the infield.

As a predominantly pull-side hitter, Bautista has been a target of opposing infield shifts ever since his breakout season in 2010. But while the tactic was once used by just a handful of teams, it has become common over the last two seasons for just about every team to crowd three infielders on one side of the diamond against dead-pull hitters like Bautista.

While Bautista said that some of his opposite-field hits this year have been broken-bat singles or nubbers off the end of the bat, he admitted he has made a conscious effort this season to change his approach, particularly with two strikes.

He said he made the change after talking with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who was hired this off-season and arrived in Toronto preaching the gospel of hitting to all fields.

“Just talking to our hitting coach and realizing what is in front of me and at times not being so stubborn and hard-headed and trying to force the issue of hitting an extra-base hit or a home run. Again, if there’s not much going on on the bases and I’m behind the count and it’s a good pitcher with good quality stuff and they’re giving that hole to me, why not take advantage of it? Get a base-runner and you never know what can happen.”

Bautista is still hitting home runs, mind you.

His 14 bombs are tied for fifth in the American League. But the extra hits have helped boost his batting average to .311 this season — ninth highest in the AL and 50 points higher than it was at the end of last season. Bautista also leads the majors with 47 walks this season while his .442 on-base percentage is tops in the league and just eight points behind Troy Tulowitzki for most in the majors.

“He’s been a constant all year,” said Jays manager John Gibbons. “Couple slow starts out of other guys, guys were banged up, but Bautista’s been there from Day 1.”

The slugger is consistently finding ways to get on base, Gibbons added.

“He’s changed his approach at the plate a little bit. And he’s still hit his home runs. He’s playing as good a defence as anybody in baseball . . . he’s a key guy.”

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