ANAHEIM — Six players and the managers from both teams were ejected after a fight that caused the Angels-Mariners game to be delayed by 18 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
Tensions began in the ninth inning on Saturday night, when Mariners right-hander Erik Swanson was ostensibly pitching around Mike Trout and threw one over his head. The Mariners then intentionally walked Trout, but after the game Trout was upset about the pitch’s proximity to his head.
On Sunday, right-hander Andrew Wantz was starting for the Angels as an opener. His first pitch to Mariners No. 2 hitter Julio Rodríguez in the first inning was up and behind him. There was some jawing from the Mariners dugout, and the umpires then caucused and issued warnings to both sides.
In the second inning, Wantz hit Jesse Winker in the upper thigh with his first pitch. That prompted some more yelling from both dugouts, and Winker then came toward the Angels dugout and the brawl erupted.
Angels third Anthony Rendon, who is out for the season after having wrist surgery, was one of the first players out of the Angels to go after Winker. Soon, players from both sides were exchanging haymakers in a mass of humanity beside the Angels dugout. Players streamed in from both bullpens.
As Winker was walking off the field toward the end of the altercation, he made an obscene gesture with both hands toward the Angel Stadium fans.
Angels closer Raisel Iglesias was particularly animated during the first phase of the brawl, and once things that had calmed down he flung a box of sunflower seeds onto the field and then came after the umpires, needing to be restrained by his teammates.
When it was over, umpires had ejected managers Phil Nevin and Scott Servias, along with Wantz, Iglesias and reliever Ryan Tepera from the Angels, and Winker, Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford from the Mariners.
The MLB office will certainly analyze the incident and have fines and suspensions for the people who were ejected and probably a few more.
More to come on this story.
Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch and a never-ending BRAWL broke out between the Mariners and the Angels pic.twitter.com/1MgFd55vhn
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 26, 2022