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Pirates' Dennis Santana Takes Swipe at Fan Above Bullpen During Game vs. Tigers

An altercation nearly turned ugly Thursday night.

Tom Dierberger

Santana has logged five saves for the Pirates this season.
Santana has logged five saves for the Pirates this season. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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An altercation between Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana and a fan nearly turned physical at Comerica Park on Thursday evening.

In the second game of a doubleheader, Santana was in the Pirates' bullpen when he approached a fan sitting in the seats above who was likely razzing the players. Santana walked over, pointed at the fan. jumped up and took a swipe at him. Santana was then ushered into the clubhouse by teammates

Several different videos of the incident began to circle around social media.

The Pirates have yet to address the incident. According to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen, the Tigers say that the fan was ejected from the game at Comerica Park.

Pittsburgh lost to Detroit 9–2 on Thursday in the first game of the doubleheader. The nightcap was tied 4–4 before severe weather caused a delay in the ninth inning.

Santana is in his eighth season in the big leagues and his second with the Pirates. Over 31 appearances this season, Santana has logged a 1.74 ERA with 25 strikeouts.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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