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TORONTO (AP) — Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has had his one-game suspension upheld by Major League Baseball and will serve his penalty Friday, missing Toronto's home game against the Boston Red Sox.
Bautista was one of seven Blue Jays players and coaches penalized after a bench-clearing brawl at Texas on May 15. After being hit by a pitch from Matt Bush, Bautista slid hard into second while trying to break up a double play. He and Rougned Odor shoved one another before Odor landed a punch to Bautista's jaw, sending Bautista's batting helmet and sunglasses flying.
Tensions between the Blue Jays and Rangers had been brewing since Bautista hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and dramatically flipped his bat in Game 5 of the AL Division Series last October.
Bautista is batting .238 with 10 homers and 34 RBIs. Ezequiel Carrera will lead off and start in right field for Toronto on Friday.
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