A pint-sized version of Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista is getting nearly just as much attention as the slugger who homered his way into playoff lore Wednesday night.
Oscar Wood, now known as ‘Mini Bautista’ with beard and all, was sitting in section 541 for Game 5 of the ALDS at Rogers Centre. During the seventh inning, he was matching swings with his hero. And if anything is certain — the last thing the kid needs to work on is his timing.
READ MORE: Jose Bautista lifts Blue Jays past Texas Rangers 6-3, into ALCS
With one swing of the bat, both mini and big versions of Bautista went yard on reliever Sam Dyson. Projections estimate the shot went 431 feet into left-center field.
The little boy’s jaw dropped as he watched the ball sail towards him. But the shock on his face was quickly replaced with elation as the Blue Jays took a 6-3 lead enroute to victory.
WATCH: ‘Mini Bautista’ goes viral with epic swing of the bat in Game 5
The boy’s father, Benn, posted a clip of the amazing moment on Instagram and it quickly went viral.
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At this writing it had been liked nearly 4000 times with over 400 comments on Instragram — the majority indicating their amazement. An identical post on Twitter also earned thousands of reactions.
READ MORE: Royals beat Astros to set up showdown with Blue Jays
Looking back through Blue Jays history, Wednesday night’s young stud hasn’t been the only boy to embrace a fake beard. Global News’ Rob Leth spoke to Curtis Hopkins, a.k.a. ‘Little Bautista’, in 2011 after he threw out the first pitch at a game.
Benn’s next post? 29-year-old American League MVP candidate Josh Donaldson embracing his children after the game.
What a big night for little Blue Jays fans.
WATCH: Global News sits down with ‘Mini-Bautista’ and his dad!
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