Benches Clear Between Mets And Cardinals After Tensions Reach Boiling Point For Hit By Pitches
The Mets have made one thing abundantly clear throughout the first 20 games of the regular season: They're willing to fight.
Less than 24 hours after the team voiced their displeasure with MLB regarding their league-leading 18 hit by pitches this year, the Cardinals increased the Mets' total to 19 when J.D. Davis was plunked on the foot/ankle area by Genesis Cabrera, forcing him to exit the game in the top of the eighth inning of Wednesday's game.
As a result, the Mets sent a message in the bottom half of the frame when newcomer Yoan Lopez threw up and inside to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was not pleased.
Unsurprisingly, Arenado began barking toward the mound, which caused both benches and bullpens to clear. This resulted in a pushing-and-shoving match between the two clubs.
Arenado and Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp were ejected from the contest. Clapp was seen pulling Pete Alonso, Tuesday night’s victim who was hit on the helmet by a pitch, to the ground, which is why he was tossed.
It was only a matter of time before things reached their boiling point in this series. The Mets were beaned a total of three times during Tuesday evening’s 3–0 victory over the Cardinals, and were not happy about it.
Following the Mets’ previous win, Starling Marte said if it kept happening, they would have to do something about it. And that’s exactly how things played out the next day.
On Tuesday night, Chris Bassitt and James McCann called out MLB for using inconsistent baseballs, making it harder for pitchers to grip and maintain control of the ball. In response to this claim, a league spokesperson sent the following exclusive statement to Inside the Mets prior to the Mets and Cardinals benches clearing incident on Wednesday afternoon.
“MLB is always concerned about keeping hitters safe from dangerous pitches. We closely analyze trends in the game and have active conversations with our players and coaches to address concerns. Through April 26, league-wide statistics show hit-by-pitch rates and wild pitch rates are down relative to previous seasons. However, one Club has been hit more than twice as often as the league average so far in 2022, which is something we will continue to monitor.”
The Mets have been plunked 19 times through 20 games. The next highest total is 11 and the league average is seven hit by pitches per team. While HBPs around baseball are as low as they’ve been since 2018, the Mets have still been beaned significantly higher than any other team, and they aren’t going to stand for it.
Following the contest, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol had some strong words regarding Arenado’s reaction to Lopez’s close pitch.
“l love it … When you come up top like that and jeopardize someone’s career or life, yeah, I take exception of that,” Marmol said.
As for Alonso, the first baseman reiterated that the Mets are going to stand up for themselves.
"We're going to stand up for ourselves," Alonso told reporters. "What happened today didn't even make sense. The ball wasn't even close. Something got started for no reason."
"I can't comprehend guys missing that badly. It's not even close. I just don't understand."
When asked if he had an issue with how Arenado reacted, manager Buck Showalter pointed to the ends rather than any perceived means.
"I'll let them handle their players," Showalter said. "I know our player got hit in the head and went to first base."
While the Mets failed to complete a sweep of the Cardinals in a 10–5 loss on Wednesday, in which Carlos Carrasco allowed seven earned runs, they’re still 14–6 and took a franchise record sixth straight series to open up the season.
After the game, Showalter told reporters that Davis’s initial x-rays on his foot were negative.
The Mets and Cardinals will see each other again soon for a four-game series at Citi Field beginning on May 16. Based off how their first meeting went, It's fair to expect tensions to be strong when these two clubs meet a few weeks from now in Queens.
Read More:
- Mets Rip Into MLB For League-Leading Hit By Pitch Count
- How Mets' Chris Bassitt Is Endearing Himself to Team, Fans
- Mets Bring Back RHP Tommy Hunter On Minor-League Deal
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