Rangers’ Rougned Odor to receive 8-game suspension for punching Jose Bautista

Odor told reporters on Monday (via ESPN) that he didn’t regret his actions. “I know I’m going to be suspended for a couple games”.

Odor sparked a mass brawl on the field on Sunday when he landed the punch shortly after Bautista had made a hard slide into second base.

Don Cherry doesn’t think Jose Bautista should have flipped his bat after his home run against the Texas Rangers in last year’s American League Division Series. Adrian Beltre the Rangers third baseman threw to second. Bautista was held back by veteran Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, but players from both teams rushed the field and started pushing and shoving each other. While in the minors in 2011, Odor slid hard into second base and wound up starting a melee in similar fashion as Sunday’s after punching the opposing shortstop, who objected to his slide. “My only complaint was that if you’ve got an issue with someone, we get that, everyone views things differently, and if you’re going to do something, hey, that’s part of it, we get it”.

Rougned Odor’s powerful punch to Jose Bautista’s jaw will be remembered for a long time. It’ll cost him 10 games or so, but I suspect he’s fine with it: been there, done that, and by now, probably even bought the T-shirt.

“I have to say this is one of the greatest punches I ever saw”, Cherry said. It looked bad; the whole situation was not pretty at second. Like Banister, he defended Odor’s style. But they definitely weren’t peacemakers and could face a suspension of a game or two as a result. There are rules in play and we live by the rules. That’s up to you to judge that, he said.