Rivalry between Rangers, Astros intensifies after Saturday dust-up
In Saturday's contest, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers got into a bit of a 'situation' in the ninth inning.
Rangers infielder Rougned Odor and Astros catcher Hank Conger exchanged some words (later revealed to be regarding how long Odor was taking to get back into the batter's box). Shortly thereafter, both dugouts spilled out onto the field, with Rangers star Prince Fielder lunging from the on deck circle to try and calm down a few members of both teams.
Here's the video:
Both Odor and Conger seemed especially motivated by the occasion, as Odor tripled once the furor died down and Conger blasted a two-run homer to bring Houston closer in the bottom of the ninth.
After the game, Astros manager A.J. Hinch reflected on the situation when speaking with David Barron of the Houston Chronicle: "You wonder if games in July matter. Tonight was probably proof positive that there’s some emotions involved.… It’s good to see some rivalry baseball rear its head.”
During the on-field argument, Hinch and Rangers manager Jeff Banister can be seen arguing heatedly at each other, adding some managerial spice to the goings-on.
Conger didn't say much to Barron regarding his conversation with Odor, but he did offer this up: "Whatever was exchanged between me and him is between me and him, but at the same time I wasn’t too pleased about him taking his time getting into the box.”
However, Astros pitcher Scott Feldman (who came off the DL to make the start on Saturday) had some more pointed things to say. As he told Chandler Rome of MLB.com, as reported by Rome in a pair of tweets:
With the second half barely underway and the Astros trying to reclaim first place in the AL West, this will be a narrative to watch as the season continues. The Rangers, too, are fighting for their lives in the division and the Wild Card race as they continue to hover around the .500 mark.
Intra-division rivalries are always fun to watch, and it appears as if one might be brewing in the Lonestar State.
(h/t Houston Chronicle, Twitter)
