MLB Suspends Rougned Odor 8 Games For Punching José Bautista

Odor was also fined $5,000 for punching Bautista during Rangers-Blue Jays game.

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Rougned Odor has been suspended for eight games after he punched José Bautista during the Blue Jays-Rangers game on Sunday. According to Yahoo! Sports, Odor was also fined $5,000 for the fight. Bautista was not spared by the MLB and was given a one-game suspension.

Other suspensions handed out for the brawl include Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, who got one game for his "aggressive actions during the incident." He doesn't plan to appeal the suspension, but Odor and Bautista do plan to take action to appeal their suspensions. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was also suspended for three games.

Odor said Sunday he expected a suspension, and on Monday he said he didn't regret hitting Bautista. He also said that he respects Bautista because he "plays hard."

During the top of the eighth inning of Sunday's game, Bautista was hit by a pitch from Rangers' Matt Bush, which sent him to first base with a seething sense of vengeance. During the next play, the Blue Jays made a base hit that caused Bautista to run into a forced-out at second base, yet he seemed to retaliate with a late slide that targeted Odor's legs during the double play attempt. Odor immediately reacted angrily to the takeout slide and got in Bautista's face, and he gave him one of the meanest right-cross punches seen in the current MLB era. The double play was honored by the umpires for the illegal takeout slide. Then a brawl ensued on the field between both teams once they cleared their dugouts.

After the brawl ended, umpires had to stop the game for 10 minutes to restore order. Once the game resumed, during the bottom of the eighth inning, Blue Jays reliever Jesse Chavez plunked Rangers' Prince Fielder with a pitch, and both teams left their dugouts once more, although no punches were thrown. Chavez was ejected from the game and was also handed a one-game suspension for his bean. Chavez plans to file an appeal for his suspension.

Going into Sunday's game, tensions had flared between both teams since Game 5 of last year's American League Division Series, when Bautista made his infamous bat flip after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer against the Rangers.

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