Video Credit: The Tailgate Times on YouTube
ARLINGTON -- The bad blood that has been building for months between the Blue Jays and Rangers spilled over into an ugly benches-clearing fracas in Texas' 7-6 victory at Globe Life Park on Sunday afternoon.The tensions began to rise when Jose Bautista was struck by a pitch from right-hander Matt Bush in the top of the eighth inning with no outs and Texas holding that 7-6 lead. Bautista exchanged words with Bush and the Rangers' dugout as he took first base, but the game continued uninterrupted.
That changed two batters later, when Justin Smoak hit a grounder to third baseman Adrian Beltre, who then tried to get a forceout at second base. Bautista came into the base with a hard slide that is a violation of MLB's new slide rule and made contact with second baseman Rougned Odor's leg.
Before the play was over, Odor shoved Bautista with both hands and then punched him squarely in the face with his right hand as Bautista's helmet went flying into the air. The dugouts cleared and play was delayed for a lengthy period of time as the umpires tried to sort through the chaos.
During the lengthy confrontation between both sides, Toronto manager John Gibbons returned to the field and got into a heated war of words with Rangers manager Jeff Banister. The two had to be separated, and Gibbons likely will face punishment from Major League Baseball because he had been ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes.
Bautista and Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson were ejected from the game at the conclusion of the brawl. Odor also was tossed alongside Texas bench coach Steve Beuchele.
The dugouts cleared once again in the bottom of the inning when Toronto right-hander Jesse Chavez hit Prince Fielder with the first pitch of the at-bat. Chavez was immediately ejected from the game as players came running onto the field again.
Toronto bench coach DeMarlo Hale also was automatically tossed because warnings had been issued to both sides.
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