Bautista on Odor rivalry: We're 'not UFC fighters'

After Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista was punched in the jaw by Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor in May, sparks were expected to be ignited yet again when the teams squared off Thursday in Game 1 of the ALDS in Texas.

Rangers fans came to the ballpark armed with signs to help Bautista remember a moment he presumably tries to forget, while also yelling towards him as he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of the afternoon. None of it seemed to faze Bautista, who eventually hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning of a 10-1 Toronto victory.

Watch: Bautista gently drops bat after smashing HR in Texas

In postgame comments, Bautista touched on why nothing transpired between him and Odor during the contest, and why he'd been avoiding any questions about it heading into the game.

"I wanted to avoid all the questions about the whole ordeal, because we're baseball players, not UFC fighters, and we come here to play ballgames," he told reporters, according to ASAP Sports. "That's why I wanted everybody to kind of focus on that in our clubhouse. And we did and we played a pretty good game today and hopefully we continue to do that."

When asked if he believed that fate smiled on him after hitting the home run, he was quick in trying keep the focus on his team, rather than himself. Perhaps that had to do with his bat drop.

"Well I think I have a couple of home runs in my career, and I've only flipped it once," said Bautista. "So most of the time I do that."

Bautista may have exacted a more rewarding type of revenge on the Rangers with his long ball, according to teammate Russell Martin.

"Revenge is the best revenge." the catcher said.

Martin may be right, as Bautista continues to let his bat do the talking, having homered in three straight postseason games, the longest streak in Blue Jays playoff history.