I don't know how many fights you've seen or been in, but Joey has absolutely engaged in an attack posture and is the midst of what appears to my eyes (and likely Odor's) as a right hook. "before he made a fist" is completely irrelevant. In a well-executed punch, the fist doesn't truly close until impact or right before (depends on who you ask). His legs, hips, shoulder, and arm were engaging in what appears to be a punch. I don't have super-powers, so I'm not 100% Joey would have finished the punch, but saying that it's "preposterous" is overselling your case by a fair margin.As a matter of logic, this is preposterous. Odor hit Bautista before he even made a fist. That's not self-defense, that assault.
Those of you defending the disparity in punishment (and for the record, my interest is purely academic. I don't hate Bautista beyond the laundry, and have never given Odor much thought) seem to be doing so based on the question of differences in degree vs. kind. Odor landing a punch isn't a difference in kind to me, but in degree. Reasonable minds obviously disagree, and Marciano's post is a well-reasoned example of just that..