Yankees and Orioles tensions boil over in bench clearing brawl

The atmosphere was electric when the Yankees and Orioles faced off in the Bronx three weeks ago, but it didn’t quite reach a boil. Fast forward to Friday at Camden Yards, and the simmer turned into a full-on fire.

Things exploded in the bottom of the ninth inning of New York’s series-opening 4-1 win when Baltimore rookie Heston Kjerstad took a 96.8 mph sinker to the head from Yankees’ All-Star closer Clay Holmes. Kjerstad left the field with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel, and that’s when O’s manager Brandon Hyde started to see red.

Hyde didn’t appreciate some of the comments and actions coming from the Yankees’ bench and their third-base dugout. “It’s an emotional time,” he said. “My guy just got hit right in the ear. I’m upset, and then I see their dugout and they’re waving at me and yelling at me, so I just didn’t appreciate it at the time.”

A fired-up Hyde charged toward home plate, only to be intercepted by Yankees catcher Austin Wells. Hyde pointed furiously at the Yankees’ dugout, and Orioles veterans like Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, and Anthony Santander rushed in to hold him back. Despite their efforts, the situation escalated into pushing and shoving as the bullpens emptied and words flew.

“I was trying to limit the damage with that,” Wells said. “Nobody wants to fight, no one wants to be in that situation. So to be in the middle of it, I’m just trying to limit any unnecessary repercussions.” Hays added, “Any time you have a player get hit in the head, the emotions run a little bit high, and I think that’s all you saw there, was just some emotion coming out. I don’t think Clay was trying to hit Heston in the head right there.”

Holmes echoed that sentiment in the Yankees’ clubhouse, citing the wet conditions that made it tough for pitchers to grip the ball and batters to hold their bats. “You’re never trying to hit somebody in the head up high like that. I hope Heston’s OK from that. Definitely hope that he’s all good tomorrow,” Holmes said. “I was trying to throw up a front-door sinker there, and it just cut. The movement wasn’t my normal sinker, and [I] just kind of pulled it. I definitely wasn’t trying to do anything and hurt him, hit him.”

Kjerstad had to undergo tests after the game and wasn’t available for comment, but he did give a team employee a fist bump in the clubhouse, showing he’s in good spirits.

This wasn’t the first time tensions flared between these two teams. When the Orioles took two of three games at Yankee Stadium from June 18-20, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was hit by a 94 mph fastball on the left hand in the opener, causing him to miss a game. In the same series, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser were also hit by pitches.

“Look, I understand him coming out and being hot. One of your guys gets hit like that, it’s scary,” New York manager Aaron Boone said. Judge chimed in, “I think there was just some chirping back and forth. I know we’ve gotten quite a few of their guys with hit by pitches. They’ve gotten us. Kind of boiled over there.”

With both teams gunning for the AL East title, it’s no shock the rivalry is intense this season. Baltimore holds a slight edge over New York, leading the season series 5-3 with five meetings left (including two more this weekend). The Orioles are clinging to a one-game lead in the division.

Neither team has been playing their best baseball lately. Before Friday’s win, the Yankees had lost 18 of their last 25 games, while the Orioles dropped four straight to open their homestand, including a sweep by the Cubs.

For the Orioles, the focus is on revitalizing their offense to maintain their division lead before the All-Star break. “We’re having a hard time scoring runs, and that’s our main focus,” said Baltimore designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn. “So I would hope that we show up trying to win a baseball game and extra-curriculars don’t happen.”

But will that hold true? Or will tensions flare again when the series continues Saturday and Sunday? Holmes captured the spirit of the rivalry, “It’s the top two teams in the division. I think there’s a very competitive atmosphere to this. We know that these games mean something. We’re here to show up. Two teams battling out like that, you’re going to feel that atmosphere, you’re going to feel the competitive energy.”

And Hays summed it up perfectly: “I mean, we’re fighting for the first-place spot in the division and we’ve always played games like that. I expect it to be Yankees-Orioles baseball the way it’s always been.”