BaseBrawl

Just another day at the Ravine, right?

Wrong.

It was the final game of a four-game set between the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and their division-rivals, the NL West third-place San Diego Padres, in front of another sold out Dodger Stadium crowd, this one at 53,280

With one out and the Padres up 5-0 in the top of the ninth, 27-year-old Dodgers rookie right-hander Jack Little, making his Major League debut, hit hot-tempered 29-year-old Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. on the right hand with a 93-mph four-seam fastball, causing both benches to clear. Although it was abundantly clear that the pitch was not intentional, Padres manager Mike Shildt and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were both ejected by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson.

“It was only a matter of time,” said one of the Padres broadcasters, as benches cleared after Tatis was hit by Little.

And then, with no outs in the bottom of the ninth and with 32-year-old Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández on second base and 34-year-old third baseman Max Muncy on first base (both having walked), 34-year-old Padres right-hander Robert Suarez hit 30-year-old Dodgers superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani on the right side with a 99.8-mph four-seam fastball that was clearly intentional, leading to both benches again clearing and the ejections of Suarez and Padres bench coach Brian Esposito (as the Padres acting manager).

“I didn’t feel good about Tatis (being hit),” Roberts told reporters postgame. “A great player, good guy, getting hit, I didn’t feel good about it. And so, as (Shildt) comes out and he’s yelling at me and staring me down, that bothers me, because, to be quite frank, that’s the last thing I want (Tatis being hit).”

Ah yes, just some good old-fashioned basebrawl

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *