Blue Jays set to renew rivalry with Rangers

TORONTO — The matchup nearly everybody has been waiting for is finally here: Blue Jays vs. Rangers in the American League Division Series. The rivalry continues for at least another year.

This will be a heated contest between teams that have made no secret about their distaste for each other. It began last October and carried over into 2016. Now, it continues into this postseason.

Jose Bautista’s bat flip last October, Sam Dyson’s confrontation of Edwin Encarnacion at home plate, Texas’ rebuttal this year, and Rougned Odor’s right hook that caught Bautista square on the jaw. This goes deeper than just a game, but the Blue Jays insist their heads will be in the right place when the series opens Thursday (4:30 p.m. ET, TBS/Sportsnet) at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Game Date Time Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 6 4:30 p.m. TOR @ TEX TBS/SN/TVA Gm 2 Oct. 7 1 p.m. TOR @ TEX TBS/SN/TVA Gm 3 Oct. 9 7:30 p.m. TEX @ TOR  TBS/SN/TVA *Gm 4 Oct. 10 TBD TEX @ TOR TBS/SN/TVA *Gm 5 Oct. 12 TBD TOR @ TEX TBS/SN/TVA *- If necessary | All times listed ETShop for postseason gear: Rangers • Complete Postseason coverage

“We just have to win, obviously there’s bad blood there,” Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar said. “The last time we were there, it ended the way it ended, but we have to move on from that. We have to take care of business, it’s about getting W’s.”

The Blue Jays entered this season expecting some type of retribution because of what happened last fall. Bautista was responsible …

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