Everyone in the sports world talked about this punch for days after it happened. I thought it was about time for me to do the same. So prepare yourselves for a baseball purist’s take on the whole situation between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers.
Let’s start with a little background:
In the 2015 Playoffs, the Jays and Rangers squared off in the ALDS, and they played a very tense and action-packed five-game series. In the fifth and decisive game, the score was tied going into the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Blue Jays started to create a little rally, and with two runners on base, the entire stadium on it’s feet, and the entire nation of Canada watching, Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista stepped to the plate. Here is what happened:
“Joey Bats” absolutely launched the ball deep into the Canadian night, and he sat at home plate and admired what was arguably the biggest home run of his life. He then finished off his admiration with a bat flip that haunts every pitcher to his core.
The Blue Jays would go on to win the series in Game 5, moving on to face the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series, but that was not nearly the end of the story between these two teams. Every member of that Rangers squad more than likely had that bat flip etched into their brain for the entire offseason, using the anger and humiliation to fuel their training sessions. They circled the dates in which the Blue Jays were coming to town so they could deal out some vengeance, old school baseball style.
So, on Sunday May 16, the Rangers sent out Matt Bush, a rookie, to deal out some justice by intentionally hitting Bautista in the 8th inning, which, let’s be honest, everyone saw coming at some point or another. After the HBP, Justin Smoak followed with a ground ball to third, on the play Bautista went in hard to second base to break up the potential double play, however, Rangers second-baseman Rougned Odor wasn’t very found of the takeout slide attempt, so here’s how he responded:
Now, from my point of view, this whole situation could have been avoided if Jose Bautista had just put his bat down and ran the bases after his home run. Showing up a pitcher by “pimping” a homer is a phenomenon that has recently began to take on a life of it’s own, as bigger and bigger personalities come into the game, but it is also the best way to start a conflict that will end in a bench clearing brawl, or at the very least, a nice long game of beanball. Pitchers don’t like to get taken deep, but they will like it even less if they feel like the batter is showing them up by standing around the plate, flipping his bat, and taking his sweet time around the bases.
I completely condone the actions taken by the Texas Rangers and Rougned Odor for sticking up for his teammates. Justice was dealt in a swift and decisive manner, and we got a pretty good brawl out of it.
