12/03/24
April 20, 2014
Bench-Clearing Brawl Between Pirates, Brewers: A slow home run trot on what turned out to be a triple sparked a bench-clearing brawl between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers Sunday. A deep fly to center by Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez stayed in the park and Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole said something to him after he was safe at third. When Pirates outfielder Travis Snider left the bench and said something to Gomez he began throwing haymakers. Gomez, Snider and Brewers coach Jerry Narron were ejected. The game is tied 1-1 in the 8th.
Bench clearing scrums are entertaining -- watch some of those old coaches totter out -- but it's weird that baseball lets players enter the field for stuff like this. A guy in a windbreaker shouldn't get to incite a riot.
posted by rcade at 04:22 PM on April 20, 2014
Maybe the Pirates can be the new Official Arbiters of Baseball's Unwritten RulesTM now that Bryan McCann is no longer with the Braves to team up with Chris Johnson as Enforcers of the CodeTM.
posted by holden at 02:49 PM on April 21, 2014
Fuck Carlos Gomez right in the ear. I think Cole was well within his rights to go over and give him a little verbal jabbing for blowing what should have been an inside-the-park home run. And pitch better? Cole gave up six hits and a walk in eight innings.
Had Gomez run out of the box, the Brewers would have won that game in regulation, instead of having to go 14 innings and work three more guys out of the bullpen.
I agree about the guys leaving the bench, but man, if they banned it, we would've missed this.
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:15 PM on April 21, 2014
I think Cole was well within his rights to go over and give him a little verbal jabbing for blowing what should have been an inside-the-park home run.
"You idiot! Why didn't you run harder and score a run against me!"
No, I'm pretty sure Cole was a moron for going over to complain to someone that helped his team.
posted by grum@work at 08:28 AM on April 22, 2014
From a results perspective, yes, but I can understand frustration with someone who's gotten to the same pinnacle of achievement as you but doesn't seem to be trying 100%. Not a big fan of the Unwritten Rules Bouncers that spring up in baseball, but I can understand it.
posted by yerfatma at 09:24 AM on April 22, 2014
Who said Cole was complaining? He probably called Gomez a lazy fuck and Gomez, knowing in this case it was accurate, reacted. I'd say Cole actually did a bang-up job -- he got out of the inning with no further damage AND he removed an opponent who had hit him hard from the game.
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:52 AM on April 22, 2014
Or Cole could have kept his mouth shut, been glad a runner didn't score, and gone back to the mound. Instead his taunt was all about someone showing him up.
posted by dyams at 02:29 PM on April 22, 2014
Cole said he told Gomez this: "If you're going to hit a home run, watch it. If you're going to hit a fly ball to center field, don't watch it."
Gomez: "I'm not flipping my bat because I think it's going to be a home run. I thought it was an out."
posted by rcade at 04:31 PM on April 22, 2014
Cole ran his mouth then punked out.
posted by Debo270 at 04:50 PM on April 22, 2014
Running his mouth is all a pitcher should do. One of his hands is worth millions.
posted by rcade at 05:11 PM on April 22, 2014
Think of what the two would be worth!
posted by yerfatma at 05:30 PM on April 22, 2014
Cole should've been tossed, also...it's his delicate sensibilities that started the whole thing. Gomez was looking, out of the box, at either a home run or a fly out. When it hit the wall, he hustled to 3rd. He didn't eyeball Cole, or say anything to him up the 1st base line. Cole should've just shut up and pitched better...