Rougned Odor Suspension: How Many Games Should Texas Rangers Second Baseman Be Suspended?

A Rougned Odor suspension is coming, but how many games should the Texas Rangers second baseman get? Odor won’t be the only player suspended either, as an on-field brawl between the Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays led to quite a few ejections on Sunday, May 15. In the eighth inning of Sunday’s game between the Blue Jays and Rangers, Odor punched Jose Bautista in the face. It led to his immediate ejection and incited a brawl that will lead to a series of suspensions and fines.

With the Rangers leading 7-6 in the top of the eighth inning, pitcher Matt Bush intentionally hit Jose Bautista to start out the frame. Both teams were warned and the situation had a few pitches to cool down. Two batters later, Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak hit a ground ball to Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, who threw to Odor at second to begin a double play. Bautista, running from first base, made a late slide in what appeared to be an attempt to take out Odor.

Odor’s throw to first went wide, and he immediately faced off with Bautista at second base. As other players began running toward Odor and Bautista, Odor connected with a right-handed punch to the face of Bautista. The force of the punch caused Bautista’s sunglasses to fly off, and before he had a chance to retaliate, he was tackled by Beltre. The benches for both teams cleared and the situation on the field got even worse.

Following the brawl, Jose Bautista, Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, Rougned Odor, and Texas Rangers bench coach Steve Buechele were all ejected from the game. The umpires also ruled that Bautista had interfered with Odor and the previous play resulted in an inning-ending double play. On the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth inning, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Chavez intentionally hit Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder. Chavez and Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale were immediately ejected by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna.

Major League Baseball will have to sort out what took place on Sunday and there are going to be a lot of suspensions coming. The Rougned Odor suspension might be the longest, though, as he connected with a vicious punch to Bautista’s face. Social media erupted following the on-field brawl, with many Rangers fans stating that Bautista “had it coming.” They are referring to the infamous bat flip that Bautista made against the Rangers during the 2015 MLB Playoffs. The Rangers and fans of the team have not forgotten.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons could also receive a suspension as he was ejected early in the game, only to return to the field later during the brawl. MLB has already stated that this is not allowed, as was the case in the Bryce Harper suspension, so Gibbons could miss a game or two. Several other players, including Blue Jays’ designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and outfielder Kevin Pillar put their hands on umpires during the brawl, which could lead to action being taken by MLB. Matt Bush and Jesse Chavez will likely see suspensions for throwing at batters as well.

So how many games should the Rougned Odor suspension be when MLB makes the announcement? Throwing at a batter intentionally typically lands a five-game suspension for a starting pitcher, but Odor could see as many as 10 games if MLB reacts harshly to the situation. Jose Bautista could also get suspended for his part in the brawl as well, due to the takeout slide that the umpires ruled as illegal. The full video of the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers brawl is going to be examined and disseminated for quite a while.

Baseball fans are going to be watching closely as the aftermath to the Rangers vs. Blue Jays brawl is revealed. There are a lot of unanswered questions that will be debated until the announcement is made. Will this bring an end to the bad blood between the two teams? Will Major League Baseball make an example with the Rougned Odor suspension and give him a hefty ban? Will Jose Bautista get a suspension for breaking up a double play with an illegal slide?

[Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]