Angels-Mariners bench-clearing brawl leads to eight ejections originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Things got physical between the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
In the top of the second inning, Angels opener Andrew Wantz hit Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker on the backside with a first-pitch fastball.
Winker, who was visibly upset about the hit-by-pitch, had some words with Angels catcher Max Stassi and home-plate umpire John Bacon before making his way toward Los Angeles' dugout amidst an apparent argument with Angels interim manager Phil Nevin.
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And then chaos ensued at Angel Stadium, as the benches cleared and a brawl that saw punches get thrown broke out.
The fight caused an 18-minute delay and led to eight ejections, according to the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher. Four Mariners -- Winker, shortstop JP Crawford, outfielder Julio Rodriguez and manager Scott Servais -- and four Angels -- Wantz, Nevin, pitcher Raisel Iglesias and pitcher Ryan Tepera -- were tossed from the game.
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who is out for the season with a wrist injury, didn't get ejected despite hitting Winker in the face with his non-injured hand.
As Winker was leaving the field, he flipped off Angels fans seated behind the Mariners' dugout. Iglesias also had a notable exit, throwing a box filled with packs of sunflower seeds onto the diamond.
A heated Iglesias then had to be restrained by teammates as he started jawing at Winker, his former teammate on the Cincinnati Reds, and other members of the Mariners from across the field.
Just the inning prior, both teams were issued a warning after Wantz threw high and behind Rodriguez on the fifth pitch of the game. The first-inning warning was likely a carryover from Saturday night's game, when Angels superstar Mike Trout almost got hit in the head by a pitch from Mariners reliever Erik Swanson in the ninth inning. Trout wasn't thrilled with the near-plunking.
“If you can’t pitch inside, don’t pitch inside,” Trout said after Saturday's game, via the Orange County Register. “If you’re going to hit me, hit me in the ribs. Don’t hit me in the head. I don’t know if that’s the intent, but … anything at the head, you don’t do that.”
