Rougned Odor says he’s put his punch to the face of Jose Bautista behind him and doesn’t ever want to relive the incident.
The Texas Rangers second baseman was recently asked about the scuffle, which marked its one-year anniversary on Monday and has since been immortalized by several striking photos.
“It was part of the game,” Odor told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News last week, when asked about the May 15, 2016 contest against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“But it’s in the past and it’s something I never want to think about.”
Odor says he’s never autographed a picture of the punch and never will, and those around him say the 23-year-old wants to distance himself from the event.
“He knew it was a reaction he wasn’t proud of,” said Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. “He knows it was violent. He just wants to turn the page. But I think he also knows how hard that is.
“It’s the same thing that happened with Nolan Ryan and Robin Ventura, like 100 years ago, and that’s still out there. This is more for the fans now, than for him or us.”
Odor, who signed a six-year, $49.5-million extension with Texas in the winter, is hitting just .197/.252/.362 so far this season, but does have six home runs and 17 RBIs.
His manager, Jeff Banister, says the punch hasn’t altered the way the fiery Venezuelan plays.
“I did worry about what the outside perception of him would be,” Banister said. “I wondered how he’d handle the criticism. I wondered if that would change him. It hasn’t. He still has the same passion and love for the game.”
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