After benches clear in Blue Jays-Orioles game, an unexpected peacemaker emerges
When the Royals played host to the Rangers in July 2016, Texas infielder Rougned Odor received a warm welcome at Kauffman Stadium.
A few months earlier Odor had slugged Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista in the face during a game, endearing Odor to Royals fans.
Times change, of course, and Bautista is now out of baseball and Odor plays for the Baltimore Orioles. On Wednesday night, Odor helped bring order to a baseball kerfuffle.
In the seventh inning, Orioles’ pitcher Bryan Baker was pumped about getting out of a jam against the Blue Jays. Although he allowed a run, Baker made a hand gesture toward Toronto’s dugout while saying something after striking out Matt Chapman to end the inning.
The hand gesture wasn’t offensive, but the words might have been, because the dugouts and bullpens for both teams quickly emptied.
No punches were thrown, and a few players tried to bring peace to the kerfuffle, including Odor, who once sparked a baseball fight.
Baker said he’s an emotional fellow.
“I think everybody knows at this point, I’m pretty fired up, pretty intense out there. It was nothing toward their team or anything,” Baker told MLB.com. “It was just letting him know that I know that he’s talking.”
Baker was referring to Toronto’s Teoscar Hernández, who denied he’d been, you now, talking.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. told MLB.com that Baker crossed a line.
“We believe if you’re looking at the dugout that means you want problems, or you want us to react,” Guerrero said through team interpreter Hector Lebron.
“You can enjoy the moment — we understand that. You strike out somebody, you can celebrate. But when you stare at the person it’s kind of disrespectful. I mean, maybe you think you’re a superhero or something? Whatever. But yeah, he does cross the line.”
