5 best moments of the Rangers-Blue Jays rivalry
Time for round two.
With the Toronto Blue Jays' walk-off 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the team set up a tasty repeat of the 2015 American League Division Series with the Texas Rangers. In last year's postseason, both sides played one of the more memorable winner-take-all games in recent memory, complete with the most event-filled seventh inning in Blue Jays lore.
The drama didn't end there, though, as the animosity between both clubs carried over into 2016, producing an all-out brawl in May that resulted in 15 games worth of suspensions.
With the ALDS to begin Thursday, here's a look at five key moments in the budding rivalry between the Blue Jays and Rangers:
Holland sends a message
With his team on the road and up 1-0 in the series, Rangers pitcher Derek Holland felt pretty confident as he watched Game 2 from the Rogers Centre bullpen. After a fan drops a Blue Jays rally towel into the enclosure, Holland proceeded to pick it up and wipe his backside with it. Of course, his team went up 2-0, and Texas wasn't expecting to return to Toronto in the series. Or so he thought.
Protests and ugly scenes
Game 5 of last season's ALDS was an emotional roller-coaster ride that began to spiral out of control in the seventh. With both teams tied 2-2, Russell Martin's throw back to Aaron Sanchez struck Shin-Soo Choo's bat and rolled down the line. Rougned Odor sprinted home from third, and for a second, not even the umpires knew what the ruling was. After a lengthy conversation, though, they ruled the ball was live and awarded the run. The Blue Jays played the rest of the game under protest, but not before their fans littered the field with debris, nearly striking a baby with a can of beer in the mayhem.
Andrus bobbles it twice
Oct. 14, 2015 is a day to forget in the mind of Elvis Andrus. Toronto was struggling to make solid contact off starter Cole Hamels, as he had struck out eight while allowing only two earned runs on four hits going into the seventh. Then it all fell apart. Andrus made two crucial errors in the bottom of the seventh that loaded the bases for the Blue Jays, ending Hamels' impressive outing, and eventually setting up one of the greatest home runs in Toronto's history.
"Deep left field, no doubt about it!"
Jose Bautista almost literally tore the roof off of the Rogers Centre with one swing. After Josh Donaldson's single scored Kevin Pillar, Bautista stepped up with two men on base, and demolished a Sam Dyson fastball off the second-deck facing at Rogers Centre. His accompanying, controversial bat flip became immortalized in the memories of Blue Jays fans, though the Rangers wouldn't forget about it, either.
The punch heard around the world
As the expression goes, "revenge is a dish best served cold," and Texas waited until the final meeting of the 2016 season between both teams in May for Matt Bush to plunk Bautista with a fastball. The slugger didn't appreciate the late reproach, and retaliated with a hard slide that went right through Odor at second. After a quick shoving match, Odor connected on a right hook to Bautista's jaw that immediately cleared the benches and earned him an eight-game suspension - later reduced to seven - while Bautista was given a one-game ban for his role.
(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)