Rougned Odor knows a suspension is coming. That’s not exactly breaking news. Any time a bench clearing brawl happens, suspensions are definitely coming and they’re certainly going to happen when a punch is thrown and connected.
Still, the Texas Rangers second baseman does not regret punching Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista.
Rougned Odor says he knows he will be suspended but doesn't regret anything that happened Sunday. Said he was protecting himself. #Rangers
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) May 16, 2016
There’s a point to be had there. After the late slide, Bautista clearly approached Odor. If the slide was going to be his only form of payback, Bautista simply would have trotted to his dugout and that would have been the end of it. That didn’t happen, though. Bautista approached Odor, and it’s fair to speculate that he wasn’t asking for advice on good restaurants in the Metroplex.
The problem is that punches are rarely thrown (and almost never connected on) in MLB brawls. We’ll never know for sure, but odds are that Bautista was just going to wrestle with Odor until the benches cleared and the fight was broken up.
It will be interesting to see if Odor has the same take after his suspension is handed down and served. While Bautista was not hurt with the punch, that will certainly not be taken lightly by the league office. Additionally, Odor has a history of fighting, as he had a similar incident in the minors. Chances are good that his suspension will last 8-10 games, and when that’s all said and done he might be a little more apologetic.
Until then, everyone needs to remember this if the Blue Jays and Rangers play in the playoffs. Or, at least, let’s keep this in mind when the 2017 schedule is released, as we likely haven’t heard the last of this.