Baseball season is ending and tensions are running higher than ever. With just a few days left, some MLB teams are on the path to prove the impossible possible. While a select few have already clinched a playoff spot, the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros are duking it out in the last stretch of the season. A pressure-filled match-up recently saw two players erupting in a benches-clearing brawl.
Two games behind The Stars, the M’s are at a critical juncture. While each team has its strengths, the other is trying to exploit any weaknesses to the fullest. But in the sixth inning yesterday, it seemed like Julio Rodriguez and Hector Neris had had enough of each other.
Wild Scene Comes to Life as World Baseball Classic Teammates Come to Blows
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While the Astros and the Mariners may be sworn rivals, Julio Rodriguez and Hector Neris are relatively close. The two were even teammates for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Per The Seattle Times, Rodriguez recently invited Neris and other Latin American players for dinner and considered him a friend.
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But during yesterday’s game, as the young Mariners slugger walked back to the dugout, the Astros pitcher seemingly came at him with harsh words. What’s confusing to many is that Neris had just thrown three splitters to strike out Rodriguez, and the Houston team was leading 4-3. But the pitcher still spun from the mound towards J-Rod’s direction, and almost immediately, the M’s clustered together on the field.
Rodriguez’s teammates successfully held him back while Jose Abreu tried to nudge Neris to the third base dugout. Seattle’s center fielder was visibly upset and later conveyed through an official that he was ‘shocked’ at Neris’ behavior. Houston’s reliever, on the other hand, turned the tables by saying, “He’s my friend… It’s part of the game. It’s part of the moment.”
No punches were thrown, with the violence limited to verbal sparring, but both teams were clearly not happy about the moment. Neither were fans.
Baseball Fans Roast Houston Astros
After the infamous 2017 cheating scandal, Houston’s popularity with fans has gone down. Although both teams came at each other with seemingly intentional moves, many still dislike the Astros more. What was bizarre about this brawl was that it was seemingly unprovoked.
One fan wrote, “Astros were once decent, now they’re just the most unsportsmanlike team in the league. Sad to see it, they’ve tainted their ball club wrong in just a 6 year time span”
Some played with the team’s name, rather unkindly. “Houston Trashtros 🗑️”
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“And pitchers get butt hurt when hitters watch a HR or flip their bats 🤦♂️ this was totally uncalled for but I’m not surprised coming from the classless cheaters Trasshtros”
One even asked for a lip-reading on what was being said. “We need jomboys lip reading”
Another simply believed it was “Poor sportsmanship”
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Julio Rodriguez has not publicly commented on the incident yet, as the teams are probably more focused on ending the season on a good note.
WATCH THIS STORY – Two Big Teams of MLB – the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals – End Up With a Bench-Clearing Brawl