I feel like a lot of people's views of this are heavily colored by their existing opinions of Bautista. There's no way he should still be the bad guy to the majority of fans in this incident at this point. Flipping your bat - which is at its heart still a baseball act, only exaggerated - is just nowhere near on par with punching a baserunner for his legal (and frankly fairly routine) takeout slide. Odor was looking to start something before that happened, and he was way out of line. There's no ambiguity here as to who is most in the wrong.

that slide was not routine. Bautista slid very late and hard...not saying he deserved to get punched in the face, but it was not a routine slide.

Posted by dahsdebater on 5/17/2016 1:15:00 PM (view original):
They didn't "square off," either. Odor shoved Bautista and then punched him.

Wow, just wow.

So, you're saying that Bautista wasn't throwing a punch? Odor just beat him. Like I said, I give full props to Bautista for staying on his feet, but for you to say that Bautista was innocent in the matter is simply idiotic.

Posted by wylie715 on 5/17/2016 1:40:00 PM (view original):
that slide was not routine. Bautista slid very late and hard...not saying he deserved to get punched in the face, but it was not a routine slide.

It was an illegal slide.... this year. It was a borderline slide most other years, mainly because it was late and aimed at the knees. It wasn't quite as egregious as Matt Holliday taking out Marco Scutaro in the 2010 NLCS (essentially a chop block), but definitely late. At least he was sliding... five feet past the bag, but sliding nevertheless.

Posted by MikeT23 on 5/17/2016 12:39:00 PM (view original):
Would that be because he flips the bat like a punk that thinks he's a bad ***?

I couldn't care less about him before. Now he's a *****.

Watch Pujols. Does it almost every time. No one cares. Cause he's liked.

Posted by dahsdebater on 5/17/2016 1:19:00 PM (view original):
I feel like a lot of people's views of this are heavily colored by their existing opinions of Bautista. There's no way he should still be the bad guy to the majority of fans in this incident at this point. Flipping your bat - which is at its heart still a baseball act, only exaggerated - is just nowhere near on par with punching a baserunner for his legal (and frankly fairly routine) takeout slide. Odor was looking to start something before that happened, and he was way out of line. There's no ambiguity here as to who is most in the wrong.

Most in the wrong....

3. Bautista, late slide (batflip is old news) and late punch
2. Odor, got two for the price of one (low bridge throw and first punch)
1. Bad_luck, just because he's always wrong.

Hold on a second.

Bautista made a late slide. Obviously pre-mediated(much like the ball in the ribs).
Odor took exception and shoved him.
Bautista walked TOWARD a smaller man who was obviously angry.

And Odor is a the bad guy?

Bautista doesn't flip bat. Nothing happens.
Pitcher doesn't plunk Bautista. Nothing happens.
Bautista doesn't slide late. Nothing happens.
Bautista doesn't advance towards Odor. Nothing happens.

Common denominator in all of those?

Posted by The Taint on 5/17/2016 1:47:00 PM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 5/17/2016 12:39:00 PM (view original):
Would that be because he flips the bat like a punk that thinks he's a bad ***?

I couldn't care less about him before. Now he's a *****.

Watch Pujols. Does it almost every time. No one cares. Cause he's liked.

Incorrect.

And, yes, when you feel someone comes at you hard, at your lower legs, he deserves a punch in the face. Bautista more than earned it.

This is one of my favorites. Brosius realizes he's about to get his *** beat by Benitez and Strawberry saves him.

This is just how baseball is. Showboat a homer (it was freaking cool), expect to get plunked.
No ones in the right, no ones in the wrong. It's just how baseball is. Baseball rivalries and fights are some of my favorite moments.

I'm going to bow out of this conversation because there's such a rampant lack of objectivity and rationality.

But go watch that video again and then tell me you honestly believe Bautista was going to punch Odor. He wasn't. He had an open hand until the instant before he got hit.

watched the video again in slow motion. Bautista was pulling back his hand and forming a fist. Looks to me like he was going to punch Odor. Odor is just quicker.

You should bow out if you don't know approaching an angry man is a bad idea. Even if he wasn't going to punch Odor, what did he think Odor was going to do? Give him a bro-hug?

Posted by d_rock97 on 5/17/2016 2:27:00 PM (view original):
This is just how baseball is. Showboat a homer (it was freaking cool), expect to get plunked.
No ones in the right, no ones in the wrong. It's just how baseball is. Baseball rivalries and fights are some of my favorite moments.

Let me add to that that that is how baseball ALWAYS was. Always. Over 100 years. You don't show your opponent up or you'll get yours. Its not like its some place out of left field. Consistantly.

And to touch on what was said earlier, do certain players come close to that line but get a free pass because they are respected. Yes. If you are a jerkoff - because you REPRESENT YOURSELF AS A JERKOFF then you get treated as such. I didn't make those rules up. They are there. And have been there since (I presume) they started putting teams together in Brooklyn/Newark.