So, I spent some time today just digging back into that whole Bautista versus Odor dust-up. Remember that? Wild stuff.
Going Back Through It
I started by just pulling up the main clip again. You know the one. Bautista slides hard into second base, maybe a little too hard, trying to break up a double play. Odor takes exception, big time. There’s a bit of a stare-down, a shove, and then BAM. Odor lands that punch square on Bautista’s jaw.
Watched it a few times. Still kind of shocking to see, honestly. The speed of it all. The benches cleared immediately, everyone piling in. It was pure chaos for a minute there.
Then I tried to remember the context, what led up to that specific moment. It wasn’t just about the slide, right?
- There was that whole bat flip thing Bautista did against the Rangers in the playoffs the year before. That definitely stuck in their minds.
- There was bad blood between the Blue Jays and the Rangers anyway. Lots of tension already built up.
- That game itself was already chippy before the big incident. You could feel something brewing.
Just My Thoughts On It Now
Looking back, it’s one of those moments you don’t forget if you follow baseball. Was the slide dirty? Debatable. Was Odor’s reaction over the top? Absolutely, throwing a punch like that is crossing a line. But man, sports are emotional.
You see guys pushed to the edge, and sometimes things boil over. It wasn’t pretty. You had suspensions, fines, all that fallout afterwards. It definitely added another crazy chapter to the rivalry they had going.
It’s just interesting to revisit these intense moments. You see the raw reaction, the immediate consequences. It wasn’t just two players; it felt like the culmination of a lot of built-up frustration between two teams.
Anyway, just wanted to share that little trip down memory lane. Crazy how vividly you can remember moments like that punch, even years later. Just a raw, intense piece of baseball history, I guess.