Inside The Rangers

Update: Mayor Says Rougned Odor 'Punch' Mural To Stay

A mural that depicts former Texas Rangers infielder Rougned Odor punching Toronto Blue Jays' José Bautista is on the side of an Arlington taco shop.
Update: Mayor Says Rougned Odor 'Punch' Mural To Stay
Update: Mayor Says Rougned Odor 'Punch' Mural To Stay

Looks like “The Punch” is staying after all.

The Arlington mural of former Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor punching Toronto Blue Jays’ José Bautista won't be coming down even it if does violate city code.

Juan Velazquez, the popular North Texas artist that painted the massive and incredibly detailed mural on the side of a taqueria, was told by Arlington mayor Jim Ross that the shrine to Odor's fist is safe.

The mural, on a wall outside of Gilberto’s Taco Shop in central Arlington, depicts one of the seminal moments in Rangers history. On May 15, 2016 at Globe Life Park, Odor decked Bautista after a hard slide ... and some bat flip bad blood.

Controversy arose because Arlington city code only allows painted murals with within downtown or entertainment district boundaries. The new Gilberto’s location is just outside of downtown.

Gilberto’s owner, Jose Ruiz, was told the mural had to come down, leading to a flurry of social media debate and media coverage.

Arlington officials appeared to backtrack and said the city council would look into the mural policy further before making any decisions.

It appears the mayor beat them to, well, the punch.

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Art Garcia
ART GARCIA

Art Garcia (@ArtGarcia92) has watched, wondered and written about those fortunate few to play games since the 1990s. Award-winning stops at NBA.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and San Antonio Express-News dot a career that includes extensive writing for such outlets as ESPN.com, FOXSports.com, CBSSports.com, The Sporting News, among others. He is a former professor of sports reporting at UT Arlington and continues to work in the communications field. Garcia began covering the Dallas Mavericks right around Mark Cuban purchasing the club in 2000. The Texas A&M grad has also covered the Cowboys, Rangers, TCU, Big 12, Final Fours, countless bowl games, including the National Championship, and just about everything involving a ball in Texas.

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