Will Rougned Odor get the longest fight suspension in MLB history?
The Texas Rangers finally got their revenge against Jose Bautista, in the form of a punch straight to Bautista’s jaw from Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor. It’s been called one of the most accurate punches ever landed in a baseball brawl, and that’s no exaggeration.
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It’s also likely to get Odor a big ol’ suspension once Major League Baseball watches every bit of the film and decides its punishments. The question isn’t whether Odor will be suspended (oh, he will), it’s for how long. Baseball’s discipline system, like that of the United States, has a long history of precidents. And throwing a punch on the field fits the requirement for a long suspension.
We’re not talking Bryce Harper getting a one for cursing at an umpire. We’re talking then-Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett getting 10 games for punching A.J. Pierzynski. Or Ian Kennedy getting 10 games for starting the 2013 brawl between the Dodgers and Padres. Of course, a pitcher getting 10 games is much different than a position player (like Odor or Barrett) getting 10 games.
Since 2000, 10 games is the longest suspension on record for a player. Mike Sweeney also got 10 games after a August 2001 fight, as have pitchers Miguel Batista and Runelvys Hernandez. Juan Samuel, who was the coach of the Detroit Tigers at the time, got a 15-game suspension for throwing punches during a brawl in 2000.
With the Odor suspension set to headline the list of punishment from the Jays-Rangers brawl that MLB will doll out soon enough, we’re left to play the guessing game for now. So with that, we asked the Big League Stew crew for its best guesses about how many games Odor will be suspension.
Chris Cwik: 15 games
Fifteen games might seem like a lot for throwing a punch during a baseball brawl given MLB’s history of suspending guys. Take Carlos Quentin, for example. He was suspended just eight games after breaking Zack Greinke’s collarbone. Still, the fact that Odor landed the punch directly on Bautista’s jaw will probably earn him a longer suspension than expected. That’s not entirely fair, as anyone who wildly swings their fist at another person is always hoping to make contact. Just because Odor actually made contact doesn’t necessarily mean he should get a longer suspension. Intent should matter. MLB probably wants to discourage this type of thing from happening again, so a 15-game suspension seems appropriate.
[Elsewhere: The internet lost its mind following the Blue Jays-Rangers brawl]
Mark Townsend: 10 games
I don’t envy the MLB officials in charge of sorting this one out. When taking everything into account — the history, the slide, the emotions, the punch, and also what appeared to be an intentional throw at Bautista’s head — I feel like a 10-game suspension is the right call. That’s on the high end when landing a punch, and just about spot on considering the totality of the incident.
Mike Oz: 10 games
I agree that good contact shouldn’t get Odor a longer suspension, because the intent was the same as other players who we’ve seen try to land a knockout punch. Even though Odor’s punch landed cleanly, he’s no worse than other players who have wound up and missed. Using the Barrett case as the precedent here, 10 games seems right.
Liz Roscher: 12 games
With such clear video of the punch landing on Jose Bautista’s face, I don’t think they can go much less. Even though Odor was responding to a bad slide from Bautista, which MLB is clearly sensitive to, the league doesn’t want anyone taking the “law” into their own hands on the field. In the end, I think the suspension might be for that as much as it is for the punch itself.
Israel Fehr: 8 games
Odor’s suspension has to be at least eight games. It’s not even the first time he’s cold-cocked an opponent, either. Odor got four games back in 2011 for doing the exact same thing in a minor-league game and will get at least double that here.
Kyle Ringo: 10 games
I‘m guessing MLB might come down on this harder than usual given the attention it has attracted on what was otherwise a slow weekend for news from the sports world. I probably saw the punch replayed on various channels and shows at least 25 times within the first few hours after it happened. That’s not really an image MLB wants being portrayed. So often is baseball we see a lot of yelling and pushing and acting tough but no real punches thrown or landed. In this case we saw a right cross connect squarely on the jaw of Jose Bautista much to the satisfaction of the old-schoolers who hate the notion of bat flips and individuality in this game. It wouldn’t surprise me if they try to send a message here and suspend Odor for 10 games. In my opinion, that’s about five games too many.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
