Texas Rangers: Rougned Odor appeal hearing set for Tuesday
Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor will have an appeal hearing Tuesday regarding his eight-game suspension for punching Jose Bautista.
The Texas Rangers are preparing to be without Rougned Odor for eight games, given his suspension is upheld.
He has appealed the suspension, with the hearing set for Tuesday, but it is hard to see any evidence in his favor that would eliminate the suspension, although there is a chance it could get reduced.
Odor threw the punch heard ’round the world last Sunday, after he believed Jose Bautista tried to take him out with a slide.
This action saw the suspension be handed as a result, but Odor came out and said he didn’t regret what he did, and he has not seen much backlash for what he did.
Odor may have overreacted by punching Bautista in the face, but he was simply defending himself from what he thought was a direct attempt to take him out.
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Players often just accept that it is alright for someone to try to injure them with a slide, taking it as a part of the game. But what Odor did may cause some other infielders to react the same way, such as when batters charge the mound after being hit by a pitch.
The fact he punched Bautista in self-defense may take a game or two off the suspension, but punching anyone during a baseball game is going to result in some sort of suspension.
The new rule that prevents players from intentionally taking out players when sliding into a base was put into place to make the game safer, but it is still possible to take out infielders with legal slides, although Bautista found out what could happen when attempting to take someone out.
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Odor is doing the right thing by appealing, but he is still surely going to miss some games by being suspended. The punishment fits the crime, even though Odor is generally being praised for defending his own well-being.