Jose Bautista: Rougned Odor 'was looking for a fight' that day
Just over two weeks ago, Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor landed the biggest punch of 2016. His haymaker caught Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista square in the chin, causing him to stumble backwards before the benches cleared and a brawl was started.
Bautista hasn't discussed the punch much since it happened -- besides acknowledging that it'll take a "bigger man" to knock him down -- but he opened up with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci recently. In doing so, Bautista revealed that he thinks Odor was only "partly" playing baseball that day.
"Was [Odor] out to play baseball that day? Maybe partly," Bautista told Verducci. "Part of me also thinks that he was looking for a fight."
Bautista didn't just put the blame on Odor, though. He admits that his slide wasn't perfect, and it was indeed late. But he did nothing to attempt to injure Odor, despite being in a position where he had few options as far as retaliating against the Rangers.
Bautista was put in a position where there was little he could do. Sure, he slid hard into second base, but he's not the only big leaguer to do so. Prior to the new rule for sliding into second, infielders were routinely taken out by baserunners. It was a part of the game.
What isn't a part of baseball is firing a relay throw to first at a player's head. And that's exactly what Bautista believes Odor did. Bautista essentially confirmed what many people believed to be true: Odor tried to hit Bautista in the head with his throw to first.
"I've been playing baseball for a long time," Bautista said. "I know exactly what he was trying to do when he threw the ball. He tried a hundred percent to hit me in the face. And it's not the first time he's done it against me or some of my teammates. And there's video to prove that."
The cause and effect of a hard slide. https://t.co/D8GHyLBkOL
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) May 15, 2016
The Rangers and Blue Jays won't meet again this season, but a potential postseason rematch would certainly be interesting. There's a lot of bad blood between these two teams at the moment, and it doesn't seem like it's gotten any better based on Bautista's comments.
