Texas Rangers: How the Punch Galvanized the Rangers

Sunday’s “Throwdown at the Park” between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays did more than offer payback. It galvanized a team

Much has been said about Sunday’s melee between the Texas Rangers Rougned Odor and Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista, and rightfully so. The dugout clearing brawl was one of the best we’ve seen in years. The punch itself was thing a beauty and the person who it was landed upon made it perfection.

But that

innocent

suspension-worthy punch did more than just send a signal to the league. It galvanized a team.

After Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Batista (aka “Joey Bats”) bat flipped his way onto the Texas Rangers “*%it list” last postseason, everyone knew payback would be coming. Maybe not right away, but someday. After all, it was showmanship to the Nth degree.

Heck, the “bat flip” was done in such spectacular fashion, they made a t-shirt out of it.

Even as a Texas Rangers fan, I appreciated the flavor of the bat flip. I hated it. I hated Bautista (but so do most people). But as a true “new-school” baseball fan, I enjoyed the arrogant majesty of the flip. Besides, logic told me the Texas Rangers did it to themselves. They committed the errors and let the game slip from their grasp.

Jose Bautista just stepped in and took the credit for it.

And him taking the credit/blame was such a wonderful mistake to see. It gave the Texas Rangers a true villain. Instead of just focusing on their own collapse, it allowed them to channel their negativity elsewhere. And what better person to channel negativity towards than Jose Bautista.

If Rougned Odor wasn’t a Texas Rangers icon and hero before, he sure is now. Odor, the 2014 Texas Rangers rookie of the year, has always had an edge to him. Scouts have reported it, coaches have mentioned it, and teammates have alluded to it.

On Sunday, Odor’s edge was on full display for everyone to see.

Beltre, who did more holding up than holding back deserves a thank you card from the Bautista family.

After a somewhat malicious slide past second base and into Odor’s knee, the Rangers second basemen took issue and bellied up to the offending Blue Jay. Bautista, still noticeably irked at the 98 mph fastball that was delivered to his rib cage moments before, squared up and accepted the challenge.

One push, and more importantly, one punch later, and Bautista was seeing stars.