I have to agree with you. Bautista's knee didn't even hit the ground until he was already beyond 2B.
I just watched (again) a slow-motion video of the slide. Bautista's knee grazed the base as he
was landing, and as Odor began his throw on to first his right leg grazed Bautista's own right leg.
When Bautista got up,
Odor shoved him first. Only
then did Bautista extend an arm
to defend himself, at which point Odor threw the punch so many seem (ridiculously) to admire.
Sorry, there's no defense for Odor or the Rangers on this one. I don't care
what kind of
"thug" Bautista is or isn't. You
don't throw at a guy in his possible final at-bat of the
season against you over something that happened seven months ago. (If you want to send
him a message about how admirable you think his bat flip wasn't, you do it the first time
you face him---in spring training or, if you don't see him in spring training, the first regular
season game he plays against you. Even Bautista couldn't possibly have objected to that.)
Moreover, Bautista admitted he wanted to send the Rangers a message back about how thrilled
he wasn't to be thrown at in that circumstances. But he also said he wasn't trying to injure Odor
---and he succeeded in not doing so. He may have had intent with the late slide, but he never
left the proper basepath even in the slide itself.
My guess on discipline for the incidents:
* Odor---Eight games plus a fine. He was the no-questions-asked instigator of the brawl.
* Bautista---One or two games, since the Utley Rule probably applies, but if I was baseball's
disciplinarian I'd measure the circumstances and give him one game and a fine.
* Matt Bush, who threw the pitch that hit Bautista in the arm to open the inning---It would
depend on whether Bush acted on his own or under orders to drill Bautista. (Bush hasn't
commented about that part of it at this writing.) If he threw on his own, one game, considering
he wasn't ejected from the game and the warnings went out after he threw the pitch. The
major question:
why on earth would Bush throw at Bautista when he wasn't even in the
Ranger organisation last October? (Unless, if he threw on his own, he thought it would
ingratiate himself to his new teammates further . . .)
* Jesse Chavez---Three games. For being stupid enough to throw at Prince Fielder
afterthe warnings went out over the Bautista drill.
* John Gibbons---The Jays manager ran back onto the field during the big brawl even
though he'd been ejected earlier in the game. That's a big no-no. That'd get him one game
automatically, but he might get a second over the Chavez duster.
* Josh Donaldson and Kevin Pillar---They were the two most animated Jays during the brawl
itself. (Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre wisely bear-hugged Bautista away from the
scrum as a precaution.) Accounting for their looking out for a teammate, I'd give them
a game off each.
* Dale Scott---The umpiring crew chief for the series. Should have ejected Bush post haste
when he hit Bautista; the intent was only too evident. It might have kept things from getting
out of hand from there; it might even have kept Bautista from thinking about a message
of his own on the basepaths. A formal reprimand and even a fine wouldn't be out of order;
it's his job to be sure his crew controls the field.
* DeMarlo Hale---The Jays' bench coach, and acting manager since the third inning, including
when Chavez drilled Fielder. Reds manager Bryan Price got a game off when Ross Ohlendorf
took on a relief assignment and drilled a hitter with apparent intent; Hale should get the same.
* The Rangers' Brain Trust---From manager Jeff Bannister on down, they need to answer
for Bush drilling Bautista. If one of them gave Bush the order, the guilty party should get
two days' unpaid leave.
