Kevin Pillar

Cheap Shot?

Crippy Baseball, Conniption Shot , , , , ,

Can someone explain how this is a “cheap shot”?

APTOPIX Blue Jays Rangers Baseball
Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista (19) gets hit by Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (12) after Bautista slid into second in the eighth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, Sunday May 15, 2016. (Richard W. Rodriguez/Star-Telegram via AP)

I’m watching ESPN and they are showing the fight.  I believe Eduardo Perez said, the Blue Jays feel that Odor’s punch was a “cheap shot”.  I’m sorry, WTF, Odor’s right cross was anything but “cheap”. Is any punch that connects, “cheap”.

Addendum: May 16th, 2016.  

Now I’ve heard everything. Christopher Russo of MLB Network has been screaming that Rougy’s bomb on Bautista was a “sucker punch”.  What universe is he living in?  He then proceeds to say that Odor was running away after the punch.  Are we watching the same video?  Actually, I saw it live as well.  Bautista has to be given credit for not being KO’d but Rougy wasn’t running away from anything.  In fact, it looks like he was moving forward, going in for the finish, when Beltre broke it up.  Also, it looks like Rougy was throwing rights at Pillar as well.  I thought these hosts were supposed to be “unbiased”, like the news. 🙂

Rougned Odor | Conniption Shot

Crippy Baseball , , , ,

this is a different type of  conniption shot. This one was off of the chin of Jose Bautista.

 

Rougned connected with a right cross the likes of which you rarely see outside of boxing and MMA. The analysis of the situation on MLB Network, mainly by Eric Burns, is embarrassing.

Burns is clearly a personal friend of Bautista and has tried to make every excuse for his buddy having to eat a solid right cross that buckled his knees.  The punch didn’t put him away, but if Beltre didn’t get in to break it up, it might have been a lot uglier.

Here’s my analysis:

  • Bush hit Bautista on purpose.
  • Bautista went in hard on Odor although I didn’t think the slide was that egregious.
  • Odor may have tried to throw low to give Bautista a haircut as he went into the slide; although I’m not as sure about this as Eric Burns who has done nothing but complain about it for the last half hour.
  • Odor didn’t like Bautista’s slide.
  • Odor was clearly willing and able to fight.  And his definition of fight is not pushing and shoving.  Odor was only too glad to “trade hands”.
  • Odor can definitely handle himself.
  • Bautista wasn’t out but was wobbly.
  • Beltre did Bautista a solid by breaking it up.  He was clearly shaken and Odor looked like he was going in for the knock out, although he never dropped his glove which is a little odd.  In fact, if he had dropped his glove, his follow up left might have put Joey Bats away.
  • Bautista didn’t try to get away from Beltre because he was trying to regain his wits.
  • Someone from the Blue Jays bench came flying in really trying to get at Odor, perhaps Pillar? Whoever it was, it wasn’t for show, he definitely wanted to avenge Bautista.

Apparently, a scout that followed Rougned Odor, wrote in his analysis, “You don’t want to F**K with him.” Perhaps other people in MLB should heed this warning?  Odor definitely looks like he is a wiling combatant.