Rougned Odor is expected to receive an eight-game suspension after punching Jose Bautista in the face.
Even though they only faced each other twice in the regular season, the rivalry between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers is still alive and well. The Rangers waited until Jose Bautista’s last possible at-bat to plunk him with a pitch, before Bautista’s slide into second baseman Rougned Odor resulted in a few thrown punches and a bench-clearing brawl.
Fines were expected to be handed out on both sides, while Odor was expected to be suspended for punching Bautista. Jon Heyman was the first to report the terms of Odor’s suspension, which will likely become official pretty soon:
If it is eight games, then Odor will be missing some crucial series. The first being their current one against the Oakland Athletics, which the Rangers must salvage after dropping the opening game, as well as series against divisional opponents in the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels.
If Rougned does appeal the suspension, it would be a losing cause. There really isn’t anything he can say that will reduce the number of games he’ll receive, as his punch was far dirtier than Bautista’s slide, and was clearly done in retaliation for Jose’s bat flip last year.
The only thing helping Rougned’s cause is the fact that they won’t get to play the Blue Jays again this season, save for another potential playoff meeting.
Visit our MLB page for the latest news.