Jose Bautista Gets Decked, Internet Explodes
Forget about Bobby Thomson: Rougned Odor just landed the Shot Heard ‘Round the World.
Just ask Jose Bautista.
In the eighth inning of Sunday’s game between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays, Joey Bats slid hard into Odor while the second baseman was trying to turn a double play – “I could have injured him, [but] I chose not to,” he admitted afterward. And given that Texas is still pretty ticked off about Bautista’s bat flip during last year’s American League Division Series, you can probably guess what happened next: That’s right, a baseball brawl of truly epic proportions.
The highlight? Unquestionably the huge punch from Odor that caught Bautista square in the jaw (it’s even better in slow motion) and had the burly slugger seeing stars.
“I was pretty surprised,” Bautista said. “I mean, obviously, that’s the only reason that he got me, and he got me pretty good, so I have to give him that. It takes a little bit bigger man to knock me down.”
As you’d probably expect, the punch had their fellow players buzzing, with nearly all of Major League Baseball weighing in on social media. And while they didn’t reach a general consensus on whether or not Bautista got what he deserved, they all pretty much agreed that Odor packs a mean punch. And so did most MLB fans, for that matter.
Zero respect for Odor. Never had respect for him, never will.
— Marcus Stroman (@MStrooo6) May 15, 2016
I wonder if the Rangers/Blue Jays were thinking about making baseball fun again while fighting.
— Brett Anderson (@BrettAnderson35) May 15, 2016
Cleanest punch I’ve ever seen landed in the big leagues.
— Jeremy Guthrie (@TheRealJGuts) May 15, 2016
Catch this L, Jose Bautista. pic.twitter.com/F9nXezweJA
— Crying Jordan (@cryingjordan_23) May 16, 2016
I wanna find someone who takes care of me the way Adrian Beltre takes care of Jose Bautista pic.twitter.com/9HznfKxZqe
— Kent Murphy (@KentMurphy) May 16, 2016
It wasn’t long until the brawl got the Jim Ross treatment, either – because the Internet is the best:
Additionally, a number of GoFundMe pages have sprung up in an effort to pay Odor’s inevitable fine. But with only $255 having been raised overnight, it’s going to take a lot more cash – maybe Rougie can supplement his income with a little bare knuckle fighting while he’s suspended?