The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are currently locked in the tightest division race in MLB. The drama reached another level on Friday.
The benches emptied in the ninth inning when Orioles rookie Heston Kjerstad took a 96.8 mph sinker off the helmet of Yankees closer Clay Holmes. The Yankees led 4-1 at the time.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was visibly furious after the pitch and stormed onto the field to confront the New York dugout. He was stopped by Yankees catcher Austin Wells, but the benches and bullpens were already emptying.
The ensuing scrum was riddled with contentious pushing before dissipating.
Hyde was ejected for starting the fight while Kjerstad was removed from the game and replaced by pinch runner Austin Hays. He told reporters After the game, it was the behavior of the Yankees coaching staff that made him angry:
“It’s a very emotional moment. I punched my guy in the ear. I got mad and then I saw his dugout. They were waving at me and yelling at me, so at the time I didn’t appreciate it.”
The Yankees got the next two batters out, Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins, to finish the game with a 4-1 victory. They got the win largely thanks to a strong start from Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole, who had struggled since returning from an elbow injury, but he allowed just one earned run in six innings while striking out seven.
Meanwhile, Aaron Judge hit his MLB-leading 33rd home run of the season.
The loss was the Orioles’ fourth straight and leaves the Yankees just one game behind them atop the AL East. That means they’ll have to win at least one of their games against New York on Saturday and Sunday to head into the All-Star break with a share of the lead.