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Jose Bautista punched in face; Blue Jays suggest it was bat-flip retaliation by Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jose Bautista slid hard into second base, stood up and found himself face-to-face with Texas' Rougned Odor.

Next thing the Toronto slugger knew, he was rattled by a punch to the jaw that sent his batting helmet and sunglasses flying.

A feud simmering since Bautista's bat flip in last year's AL Division Series boiled over into a wild brawl that ultimately triggered six of the eight ejections in the Blue Jays' 7-6 loss on Sunday.

"I was pretty surprised," Bautista said. "I mean, obviously, that's the only reason that he got me and he got me pretty good, so I have to give him that.