Major League Base-brawl: The 13 best things about Rougned Odor's punch
Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista -- he of the bat flip heard 'round the world -- got punched in the face during a Major League Baseball game on Sunday.
But this was not just any punch.
The slobber-knocker from Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor had a reach that goes back to last October. It's a punch that spans borders and draws trans-national connections. It's a punch that deserves its own Internet post listing all of awesome things about it.
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This is that post -- the Internet post Jose Bautista getting socked in the face deserves.
So, without further ado, here are the 13 best things about Jose Bautista getting banked on Sunday.
1. That was a serious punch
Here's a look at Odor's blow. It's also a look at the rough slide into second from Bautista that preceded it.
2. There's a crying Jordan version
Because of course there's a crying Jordan version. This thing belongs in The Smithsonian, though.
3. There's a super-slow motion version ...
... that Deadspin took the time to create. God bless.
4. The beef goes back -- way back
A number of micro-aggressions, including Bautista getting hit by a pitch, precipitated Odor's punch. But really, this beef goes all the way back to last October, when Bautista unleashed a showy bat flip after hitting a critical home run against the Rangers in the 2015 playoffs.
Bautista's bat flip sparked much conversation last fall. Some saw it as an awesome and exciting unscripted moment. Others thought it was disrespectful to baseball tradition.
The bat flip controversy died out in due time, as such things do. But the Rangers didn't forget.
Seven months later -- in Bautista's final at-bat of the two teams' final meeting this season -- the Rangers took revenge by beaning Bautista. That later led to his rough slide, which eventually led to him getting socked by Odor.
A payback seven months in the making? That's hilarious -- and awesome.
5. Bautista didn't even fall!
Look at the video again. Bautista caught the full force of Odor's overhand right -- but didn't go down. Impressive.
6. Bautista lost the fight but won the post-game interview
For a man who'd just gotten emasculated and humiliated before a worldwide audience, Bautista was smooth postgame.
"I thought it was pretty cowardly of them to wait until my last at-bat to do that," he said. "It shows at least the apparent lack of leadership they have over there when it comes to playing baseball the right way. Baseball plays are supposed to be taken care of by baseball plays."
Bautista added: "I was pretty surprised. I mean, obviously, that's the only reason that he got me and he got me pretty good, so I have to give him that. It takes a little bit bigger man to knock me down."
Well played -- for a guy who just got his clock cleaned, at least.
7. Bautista's eye isn't actually disfigured
If you go by the screenshot above, Bautista looked PRETTY MESSED UP during a Monday morning interview. This was not the case, however -- just a bit of screenshot sleight of hand. (Hint: Odor punched Bautista in the jaw, so why would his eye be messed up?)
8. The guy who punched Bautista is named Rougned Odor!
Great name. Great, great name. Hell of a damn name.
Here's Rougned's Wikipedia page. Here's Rougned's MLB.com page. Here's Rougned's Baseball Reference page.
In conclusion: Rougned.
But wait ...
9. Rougned Odor has a brother named ... Rougned Odor!
You think we're kidding. We're not kidding. Rougned Odor has a younger brother named -- Rougned Odor!
He signed a minor league contract with the Rangers earlier this year.
10. This fight: So international
Odor is from Venezuela, Bautista is from the Dominican Republic and they fought in a Canadian city during an American sports league game.
It used to take months for humans just to cross the Atlantic.
Take it away, B-Legit and Too Short.
11. The punch was good for baseball
Despite the tired and teary-eyed tropes about baseball being "America's pastime," the NBA and NFL dominate our country's cultural conversation, with regard to sports -- and it's not even close.
But Sunday night and Monday morning? Odor-Bautista 2016 was the trendiest topic in sports. Major League Baseball could use more of that buzz and attention -- even if it comes at the expense of a star getting banked on.
12. It's also good for crusty old farts, which is good for baseball
When crusty old farts like Goose Gossage get mad at today's youths, it's a good time for all. Bautista's main transgression, if you subscribe to one line of thought, was breaking baseball's unwritten code of honor and decorum when he flipped that bat seven months ago. He doubled down with the aggressive slide that immediately preceded his getting punched.
A culture war is brewing in baseball right now, one that pits a new generation against the sport's old guard. Antics like Bautista's fire up the old-school crowd, which in turn generates more interesting storylines in the sport. This whole thing is entertainment, after all.
We could use more curmudgeonly tweets like this one from former pitcher CJ Nitkowski.
13. It's a teachable moment
Fighting is bad, kids. Do not fight in real life. We can have fun with Odor-Bautista 2016 because it happened on a baseball field, during a pro baseball game, with more level-headed adults around to control the situation.
But in the real world, don't fight. Because you won't end up with a crying Jordan superimposed on your torso -- you could end up in the hospital or in jail.
TL;DR: Fighting is bad, but we'll always have Odor-Bautista 2016.
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
