Rougned Odor gets eight-game suspension for Blue Jays-Rangers brawl

Major League Baseball has handed down its punishments for Sunday's benches-clearing brawl between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers and it includes six suspensions and a total of 14 players and staff members who were fined. Chief amongst them: Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor, who earned a eight-game penalty and Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who was suspended for one game.

It's the largest mass punishment for fighting that MLB has handed down since 2013, when 11 players/staff members were suspended and fined after a brawl between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Seven players were suspended last season after a brawl between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox.

 

Here's a rundown of the main figures in the brawl:

 

• Rougned Odor earned the stiffest penalty, with an eight-game suspension for his memorable role in the fracas, i.e. the punch heard 'round the world, which landed on the chin of Bautista and inspired a trove of memes and Internet jokes. He was also fined $5,000, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. Odor will appeal his suspension.

 

• Bautista got one game for his illegal take-out slide at second base and the confrontation with Odor, in which he looked ready to unload a punch of his own had Odor not beaten him to it. Bautista will appeal, according to MLB.

 

• Blue Jays reliever Jesse Chavez was suspended three games for "intentionally throwing at" Prince Fielder with a pitch in the bottom half of the inning after warnings were in place for both teams.

 

• Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus earned a one-game suspension for "aggressive actions during the incident," which basically means he threw a punch. Andrus is not appealing and will serve his suspension on Tuesday night.

• Blue Jays manager John Gibbons earned a three-game suspension. He had already been ejected from Sunday's game, but came back out to the field for the brawl, which is a clear violation of MLB rules. Bryce Harper was suspended for one game last week for returning to the field after an ejection.

• Similarly, Jays first-base coach Tim Leiper was suspended one game because he too had been ejected and returned to the dugout.

 

• Matt Bush, Josh Donaldson and Kevin Pillar, all of whom had a chance to be suspended, escaped with undisclosed fines.

 

Here's the list of people who were fined, along with explanations from MLB:

Members of the Rangers who have received fines for various infractions are pitchers Matt Bush (intentionally threw at Bautista, causing the warnings), Sam Dyson (aggressive actions) and A.J. Griffin (being on the field while on the DL); catcher Robinson Chirinos(being on the field while on the DL); and bench coach Steve Buechele (aggressive actions). Members of the Blue Jays who have been fined are third baseman Josh Donaldson (aggressive actions); outfielder Kevin Pillar (aggressive actions); and bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who, as acting manager, received standard discipline for the intentional actions of Chavez while warnings were in effect.

We wondered earlier in the week whether Odor's suspension would be the longest for fighting in modern MLB history, but it's not. In 2006, then-Cubs catcher Michael Barrett was suspended 10 games for punching A.J. Pierzynski in the face. Mike Sweeney also received 10 games for fighting in 2000.

Players have the right to appeal any suspension, and can continue playing until the league hears their case.