The Daily Gamecock

Column: Do away with unwritten rules

Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista (19) gets hit by Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (12) after Bautista slid into second in the 8th inning at Globe Life Park on May 15, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 7-6. (Richard W. Rodriguez/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)
Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista (19) gets hit by Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor (12) after Bautista slid into second in the 8th inning at Globe Life Park on May 15, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 7-6. (Richard W. Rodriguez/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)

Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor became a household name Sunday when his fist connected with Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista's jaw, igniting a brawl that would result in multiple ejections. Not only was Sunday's game the final of seven that the two teams will play this regular season, it was also the final chapter of a baseball saga that dates back to last season's ALDS (yes, the one that took place seven months ago).

Game 5 was a winner-take-all situation in Toronto last season, and Bautista capped a wild seventh inning with a three-run home run that effectively ended the Rangers' season. Like many people would, Bautista celebrated, and while it was justified because of the moment, it was certainly excessive. No pitcher likes to be embarrassed, and Bautista showed up Texas' Sam Dyson with a violent bat flip and a stare down. In the regular season, the next batter would likely take a fastball to the ribs to fulfill baseball's unwritten rules, benches would clear and after a few glancing blows were exchanged, the issue would be resolved. However, because the Rangers were looking to salvage their playoff future, that didn't happen.

The teams would not meet again until May 2, the opener of a four-game series in Toronto, and it appeared the Rangers had moved on from Bautista's series-clinching blast. Sunday's antics proved that wasn't the case.

Bautista had come to the plate against a Rangers pitcher 31 times prior to getting beaned Sunday, but it was the 32nd time that will be remembered. Relief pitcher Matt Bush, who during the 2015 ALDS was in prison for DUI with great bodily injury, placed a 96 mph heater directly into the Toronto slugger's ribs. It wasn't dangerous, it likely didn't cause any serious injury, it just hurt, and more importantly, it sent the message of retaliation that Bush and the Rangers intended. 

While Bautista was likely in pain, that should have been the end of it (granted, it should have ended during a six-month offseason). After a flyout, Justin Smoak hit a routine double play ball to third base, and Bautista attempted to take out Odor with a late slide, which the MLB made illegal during this past offseason (see Chase Utley), allowing umpires to rule Smoak out at first. Odor took offense to that, and the rest is history.  

I have no problem with the Rangers opting to hit Bautista. I pitched all throughout my childhood and through the end of high school, and I threw at guys every once in a while for various reasons. That's part of baseball, and generally speaking, it's hard to say for sure when it is intentional. What becomes excessive is every team's need for retaliation. If a batter shows up a pitcher, he or a teammate will likely get hit with a pitch either that day or in the next game of the series. That should be the end of the storyline. If benches clear, there is no need for the team who originally started the situation to make another move, as Toronto did by plunking Prince Fielder in the bottom half of the inning.

The MLB was established in 1869, and baseball is known as America's pastime. Tradition is valued far more in baseball than any other major sport, which led to Sunday's brawl. It's time to do away with baseball's confusing unwritten rules, as they don't do anything except defend the questionable actions of players. Professional athletes are generally ultra-competitive alpha males, which is why there have been fights across all major sports. It will happen. However, baseball's unwritten rules primarily tie into retaliation. In basketball, if a player commits a hard foul or talks his way, it is far more common to see an opponent restrain himself from fighting back rather than escalating the situation. In baseball, the solution to everything seems to be hitting someone with a pitch, which can not only lead to injury, but always flares up tempers.

The unwritten rules of baseball are holding the sport back. The MLB has a much older fan base than the NFL or NBA, because the majority of the younger generation finds baseball boring, which can be helped from the bat flip of Bautista or Bryce Harper's promise to "make baseball fun again." While I believe Bautista went too far in showing up Dyson back in October, these are grown men. Hitting Bautista with a pitch or a fist will not advance the Rangers any further in last year's playoffs. The MLB needs to allow players to celebrate a little more, and pitchers need to stop trying to solve all their problems with an inside heater.


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