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Tensions erupted during a game between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon leading to a wild bench-clearing brawl and chaotic scene at Busch Stadium.
The Mets currently lead the MLB in batters hit by pitches this season, which several players and manager Buck Showalter discussed after three batters were belted against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, frustrations appeared to boil over between the two teams when Mets reliever Yoan Lopez threw a 94 mph fastball near Nolan Arenado’s head.
After the pitch, Arenado was heard saying, “Do it again.” Seconds later, the confrontation escalated as both benches and bullpens cleared and approached each other on the field.
Benches clear during the eighth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
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The brawl saw Cardinals’ first base coach Stubby Clapp tackle Mets All-Star Pete Alonso during the chaos.
“I’m a big, strong guy,” Alonso told reporters after the game. “If I wanted to put someone in the hospital, I easily could, but I was just out there trying to protect my guys.”
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he had no problem with the actions of Clapp, who was ejected during the game.
“I don’t see an issue with it at all,” Marmol said. “I watched it several times before coming in here, and he’s keeping their guy from getting on top of one of ours.”
New York Mets’ Pete Alonso is taken to the ground by St. Louis Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp, rear, as benches clear during a scuffle in the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in St. Louis. Clapp was ejected from the game. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The game on Wednesday saw New York extend its league-leading 19th hit by pitch this season after Cardinals pitcher Genesis Cabrera belted Mets’ third baseman J.D. Davis in the foot during the eighth inning of the contest, which the Cardinals won 10-5.
Tuesday’s game saw three Mets players get plunked by pitches. Afterward, New York right-hander Chris Bassitt took aim at the MLB, arguing it was taking the safety of its players for granted.
“It’s extremely annoying to see your teammates constantly get hit, and if you get hit by certain pitches it is what it is, but to get hit in the head the amount that we’re getting hit is unbelievable,” Bassitt told reporters after the game, via SNY.
On Tuesday, Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks drilled Dominic Smith in the second inning before Alonso was hit in the helmet by Kodi Whitley in the eighth, at which point benches and bullpens started to clear.
Mets outfielder Starling Marte was later hit by Aaron Brooks in the ninth despite the bases being loaded, leading to the final score. The Mets won 3-0.
Bassitt argued the source of the problem is the league’s baseballs, which he says are “all different.”
“I had some close calls tonight, and I’ve been hit in the face [by a ball] and I don’t want to do that to anybody ever, but MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs. They’re bad. Everyone in the league knows it. Every pitcher knows it. They’re bad,” Bassitt said. “They don’t care. MLB doesn’t give a damn about it. They don’t care. We’ve told them our problems with them, and they don’t care.”
For Alonso, it was the second time this season that he took a pitch to the helmet. He passed his concussion tests after the game on Tuesday.
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“It’s one thing to get hit in the toe or knee, but we’re getting a lot of balls in the head and the neck, and it’s just not good. Not good,” Showalter added. “You care about your players, and without getting into right and wrong and what have you, you reach a point where it’s about safety of your players. We’re lucky. You’re talking about a pitch that broke his helmet. It’s not good, I’m not happy.”
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