A tense situation unfolded at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Friday, grabbing headlines with a benches-clearing altercation.
Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes hit Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad with a fastball in the ninth inning, sparking immediate turmoil. Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde, visibly upset over his player’s injury, erupted and exchanged heated words with the New York dugout.
This led to both teams rushing onto the field, pushing and shoving ensued. Yankees catcher Austin Wells attempted to restrain Hyde but was pushed aside, resulting in the manager’s ejection.
Hyde later explained his reaction to reporters, stating, “It’s an emotional time when your guy gets hit. I saw their dugout waving and yelling, which I didn’t appreciate.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone empathized with Hyde’s frustration, and the game continued without further incident as Holmes managed to retire the next two batters cleanly, securing a 4-1 victory for New York.
Earlier that day, another MLB manager, the Mets’ Carlos Mendoza, had also been ejected from his team’s game against the Colorado Rockies, adding to the day’s managerial unrest across the league.
In the previous series last month, Orioles players were hit by pitches four times, while Yankees players were hit twice. Boone expressed hope that Friday’s incident would not carry over into the next game of the series, but fans will need to wait until Saturday afternoon to see how both teams react.
