Rangers, Blue Jays put incident behind them

ARLINGTON — Rougned Odor knows he’ll be the center of considerable attention when he and the Rangers face the Blue Jays in Thursday’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series, but the man who landed the punch on Jose Bautista’s chin earlier this year insists he’s not focused on any of the outside hoopla.

“It’s in the past already,” Odor insisted over and over as he spoke to a throng of media members at his locker in the Rangers clubhouse at Globe Life Park before Wednesday’s workout. “I don’t worry about that. I just worry about today and tomorrow. We’re just trying to play how we play and try to win this series.”

Reporters weren’t the only ones encircling Odor in anticipation of Thursday’s 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT game on TBS, along with Sportsnet (English) and TVA (French) in Canada. His teammates, in a more figurative fashion, were also surrounding the 22-year-old second baseman.

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 | Blue Jays • Complete Postseason coverage

“I don’t think it’s only Rougie,” Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said. “I think it’s the whole team. He started everything last time, but it was from a year ago that we all as a team had that feeling. I don’t think it’s only going to be him. We’re a team and we’re going to have his back. We’re going to be right next to him and we’ll pull together.”

Odor’s punch culminated from the tension between these two teams dating back to Bautista’s bat flip in Game 5 of last year’s ALDS. Rangers reliever Matt Bush hit Bautista with a pitch in the eighth inning of their seventh and final regular-season meeting this …

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