The Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista blew up the internet during their game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, but not for any reason he’d ever want to. His face took a brutal punch courtesy of Rougned Odor after a rough slide into Odor at second in the eighth inning.
After the game though, Bautista seemed to take very little responsibility for the dirty slide, saying only that he could have injured Odor but chose not to. Instead, he said the umps should have done something after he was hit by a pitch.
“I had a hard slide at second base. I could have injured him, I chose not to,” Bautista said. “I tried to send a message that I didn’t appreciate getting hit.”
Also, if you had “play the game the right way” on your bingo card, collect your winnings because Bautista said it multiple times in his post-game interview.
All in all, it’s a damn shame we might not be able to see these teams face each other again this year, but we can hope. And even if we won’t, fear not: If the Rangers can hold a grudge for six months over Bautista’s bat flip in last year’s ALDS, then there’s no reason the Blue Jays won’t find a way to hold onto this memory until next season.
