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San Francisco Giants Infielders Have Heated Dugout Argument After Error

Two San Francisco Giants teammates got into in the dugout after they collided while going for a fly ball against the San Diego Padres.

Dylan Sanders

Sep 8, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (49), left, and second baseman Marco Luciano (37) collide while trying to catch a fly ball from San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Petco Park.
Sep 8, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (49), left, and second baseman Marco Luciano (37) collide while trying to catch a fly ball from San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Petco Park. / Chadd Cady-Imagn Images
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The San Francisco Giants were able to walk out of Petco Park with a win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday, but it wasn't all that friendly in the dugout.

Marco Luciano and Tyler Fitzgerald collided after they both went for a fly ball, the two teammates then had to be separated in the dugout after an argument started to get heated.

Third base coach Matt Williams acted quickly to break it up before things went too far and turned into into a coachable moment for the two rookies.

"We just don't have that connection right now in the middle of the infield to where we're communication on the same page. I'm not blaming it on him, I'm trying to get across the point that we have to be louder," said Fitzgerald to the media after the game per KNBR.

Luciano said that he called for the ball, but Fitzgerald couldn't hear him because of how loud Petco Park had gotten.

It has not been the season that anyone had hoped for out of Luciano. Once a superstar prospect, he's now just trying to figure out where he fits in the Giants lineup.

The near 23-year-old has bounced back and forth between the MLB roster and the minors this season

He's been ok at the plate at the Triple-A level this year, but has been below average in the Majors. He strikes out a ton and hasn't been good at drawing walks.

Over his last 10 games San Francisco heading into Sunday, he had put up a .161/.188/.194 slashing line. He picked up a double as his only hit of the day over four at-bats against the Padres.

The rookie's struggles at the plate are only made worse given that he's also been a net negative in the field.

It wouldn't be smart to overreact at such a small sample size, 21 MLB games this season, but things have clearly gotten frustrating over this most recent stretch.

He's playing out of position at second base right now as well, forcing him to adjust mid season to a new spot.

Fitzgerald, on the other hand, has been a revelation since being handed the keys to the starting job at shortstop in late July. He's put up a .304/.359/.591 slashing line over his last 46 games while also being a serviceable defender.

Both players are important in the current plans for future of the franchise, so it will be key to get them on the same page fast to avoid further dust-ups in the dugout.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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