A day after throwing a punch that sparked a benches-clearing brawl, Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor said he has no regrets.
“I can tell when someone is coming hard to second base, so I was just trying to protect myself,’’ Odor explained Monday of his punch to the jaw of Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista during Sunday’s 7-6 victory.
When asked if he regretted anything that happened he said, “No.’’
MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre said Monday that discipline is obviously coming for those involved in Sunday’s melee, “hopefully’’ as soon as Tuesday.
“I know I’m going to be suspended for a couple of games,’’ Odor said.
The 22-year-old Venezuelan said he respects Bautista and looks to move forward.
“I think it’s over. It’s in the past,’’ Odor said through a translator.
Odor was listed as batting leadoff as the Rangers opened a six-game road trip by facing the Athletics on Monday night. Bautista was also in the lineup for Monday’s home game against the Rays.
After Bautista was hit by Matt Bush, things escalated when Bautista slid hard into second while trying to break up a double play. He and Odor shoved one another before Odor landed a punch to Bautista’s jaw, sending Bautista’s batting helmet and sunglasses flying.
Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar said he felt Odor’s punch was out of line.
‘‘When a guy gets a clean shot like that, most of us, our only thought process was getting one back,’’ Pillar said. ‘‘An eye for an eye, that’s how a lot of us approached it.’’
Angels, Lincecum close
The Los Angeles Angels are closing in on a deal to sign two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, a free agent trying to come back from hip surgery, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. Lincecum tossed 41 pitches on May 6 for about three dozen scouts representing nearly every major league club in Scottsdale, Ariz. Lincecum, 31, won the NL Cy Young Award in 2008 and 2009 and made four All-Star Game appearances for the Giants . . . Longtime Tigers infielder Dick McAuliffe, a three-time All-Star and a member of Detroit’s 1968 championship team, died Friday at the age of 76, the team announced. No cause of death was given . . . Angels pitcher Garrett Richards had a stem-cell injection in his right elbow in a bid to avoid having Tommy John surgery. It will be weeks before he knows whether it worked and there is no timetable for his return . . . Mets lefthander Steven Matz was told he has no ligament damage in his pitching elbow, according to reports from Newsday. Matz’s latest turn was skipped after he felt soreness in his left forearm.