Bean brawl
No penalties Wednesday after Angels-Royals beanball war
Posted: Wednesday June 03, 1998 12:46 PM
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Twelve were ejected as a result of two brawls between the Angels and Royals (AP) |
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- AL president Gene Budig was a witness when
the second AL beanball war in two weeks resulted in two brawls between the
Kansas City Royals
and Anaheim Angels.
Budig had no comment after the Angels-Royals' game. He was still in town
Wednesday morning and league officals said in New York that penalties were
not expected to be announced Wednesday.
Twelve were ejected, including both managers, in the game eventually won
7-5 by the Angels after fights in the seventh and ninth innings.
The melees came exactly two weeks after another ugly brawl between the New York Yankees and
Baltimore Orioles
resulted in five suspensions.
The first hit batsmen came in the fifth when Angels catcher Phil Nevin was
hit by Kansas City starter Chris Haney two
batters after Tim
Salmon homered.
In the seventh, Nevin was hit in the back of the neck by fastballer Jim Pittsley.
"The second time, I know that it was deliberate," Nevin said. "There was
no doubt it came from the bench."
Nevin went after the 6-foot-7 Pittsley, creating the first fight.
"I am shocked," said Nevin, who was body-slammed by Pittsley. "I don't
have any bad blood with those guys."
"I didn't sense anything [between the teams]," Kansas City manager Tony
Muser said.
Rich
DeLucia hit the Royals' Dean Palmer with
the first pitch of the eighth.
"Richie did what he thought he had to do," Angels manager Terry Collins
said.
"After we hit Palmer, it should have been over," Nevin said. "It's part
of the game, but it's unfortunate."
Royals reliever Scott Service
hit Darin
Erstad with two outs in the ninth and was ejected.
Then came the bottom of the ninth. On the second pitch, Angels
left-hander Mike
Holtz hit Jose Offerman.
"I think that some words came out of the Angels dugout that got Offy
excited," Muser said. "That is what got it started."
The Angels were particularly upset with Kansas City shortstop Felix
Martinez, who was not in the game.
Martinez, a rookie who has a history of fighting in the minor leagues,
came out battling in the ninth after Offerman was hit.
"I didn't have a problem with anyone but Martinez," Collins said. "I saw
him take a swing at one of my players."
Nevin was even more outspoken. Using an expletive, Nevin said,
"[Martinez] should be kicked out of baseball. He sucker punched Frank
Bolick.
"It was a regular baseball fight until he threw that sucker punch. If I'm
catching and he comes to the plate, I might just kill [him]."
Seven players were ejected -- Nevin, DeLucia, Holtz and Bolick from the
Angels and Pittsley, Service and Martinez from the Royals.
Both managers were ejected along with Angels coach Joe Maddon and Kansas
City coaches Jamie Quirk and Rich Dauer.
Jarrod Washburn pitched 6 1/3 strong innings in his major league debut
and Justin Baughman hit his first major league homer for the Angels.
Washburn, a left-hander recalled Tuesday from Class AAA Vancouver, got
the victory, allowing only two hits and one unearned run. He struck out
five and walked six.
The only hits off Washburn were an RBI double by Jermaine Dye in
the second and Shane Halter's
double in the seventh.
After the second brawl in the bottom of the ninth, Jeff Conine hit
a two-run double and Shane Mack
doubled him home, making it 7-5. But Troy Percival,
who led the charge of Angels relievers out of the bullpen for the second
fight, got the last two outs for his 16th save.
Haney (3-4) gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings.
Notes: Washburn's parents, Dawn and Mike, drove in from Webster,
Wisconsin, to see his major league debut. They were joined by 31 other
people from Washburn's hometown. ... Angels shortstop Gary
DiSarcina doubled in the second for his fifth consecutive hit. He was
4-for-4 in Monday's game. The streak ended with a fielder's choice in the
fourth.
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