I can tell when somebody is coming hard to second base.
Advertisement
Then on an ensuing force play at second base, Bautista slid illegally into second baseman Rougned Odor, who deliberatly threw low at the sliding Bautista, grazing his helmet. Odor, Bautista and Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson all were ejected for their roles after the benches cleared.
And Odor, who didn’t talk after landing the punch Sunday, said Monday that while “I know I’m going to be suspended for a couple of games, ” he also seemed to suggest it was all in a day’s work.
Joe Torre, Major League Baseball’s chief baseball officer, said during a news conference in Phoenix that “it certainly wasn’t pretty and I hate seeing that stuff”.
Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor didn’t take too kindly to Bautista’s effort and immediately stepped to him, said some words, tried to take Bautista’s head off with a right cross to the jaw.
Texas pitcher Matt Bush hit Bautista squarely in the ribs and was apparently in retribution for Bautista’s dramatic bat flip after a home run in Game 5 of the American League Division Series last season.
“I saw him standing there after the slide”, Odor said. However, it feels like this thing is finally over between the two sides and they don’t play each other again until next year or the postseason this year. “Any time I see a bunch of players out on the field, you just hold your breath and you’re hoping everybody comes out of it… obviously we’re going to be issuing discipline”.
Odor spoke to the media Monday afternoon before the Rangers opened a three-game series against the Oakland A’s.
Odor, Bautista, and Bush are all candidates for suspension, as is Toronto reliever Jesse Chavez, who hit Rangers hitter Prince Fielder with the first pitch after play resumed, triggering a second brawl. “To wait until the end, that just kind of tells me a little something”. And manager Jeff Banister came to his defense, arguing that Odor is taking the majority of the blame for an incident he did not start. In the past, he has irritated Houston, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers with hard slides.
“I’ve seen guys flip bats, not like these guys do now, but I’ve seen guys flip bats and they get hit and everybody moves on”, he said.
“My opinion is that the whole situation was mismanaged by the umpires”, Bautista said.
According to Fraley, Odor later added that he respects Bautista and considers the issues between the two teams to be resolved at this time. I try to look at a player’s heart to see if he’s really looking to show somebody up. We try to play hard.
“I don’t hear nothing, ” he said.
Advertisement
“I have to say”. “I just try to be a good teammate, to do the best I can to win games”.
