Reds' Terry Francona Doesn't Hold Back After Controversial Sal Stewart Hit By Pitch

The Cincinnati Reds took home a thrilling victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday by a final score of 9 to 8. Reds star Sal Stewart opened the scoring with a thunderous home run in the first inning, while Eugenio Suárez followed with a two-run blast in the first to make it 3 to 0 before the White Sox came to the plate.

The White Sox responded with one run in the first inning and three runs in the second inning to take the lead heading into the third inning.

To lead off the third inning, White Sox pitcher Davis Martin, who previously surrendered the home run to Stewart, threw a first-pitch strike to the Reds rookie. The next pitch was over Stewart's head, while the third pitch of the at-bat hit him in the head. The benches cleared and Martin was ejected.

Following the game, Martin insisted it wasn't intentional.

“Just lost grip of the ball. The first one went over his head, made eye contact, said my bad, and I had no intention of doing that," Martin said, via White Sox reporter Brooke Fletcher. "And then second one, we were trying to just drive the fastball down and away to kind of reset, which is a good reset for me, and then just lost it again.

“There’s no intention there. Guys just came back, picked me up after the first inning. We’re up 4-3, and that’s obviously the last thing that I’m trying to do is trying to start something there.”

While Martin was insistent that it slipped from his hands, these were the only two fastballs that the righty would miss in that direction during his short start on Thursday. Reds manager Terry Francona was certainly not believing this excuse, as he said it was "extremely blatant" what Martin was doing.

Terry Francona Says Sal Stewart HBP Was 'Extremely Blatant'

Aug 13, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“That was extremely blatant. You can’t throw two balls at that head high. You could kill somebody. I thought that was terrible," Francona said following the Reds' 9-8 victory over the White Sox on Thursday.

It's hard to believe that Martin would miss in that direction one time, especially after Stewart's thunderous home run. Following the first pitch, Stewart gave a long look out to the mound as if he knew what Martin was doing already. The fact that the next pitch was in a nearly identical location and hit Stewart in the head is difficult to call a coincidence.

This isn't the first time that Stewart has been in the middle of a controversy like this. He was plunked in a similar fashion against the San Francisco Giants earlier in the season.

There's a stark difference between throwing at a player's thigh or butt and throwing at his head. Hitting a player in the butt can leave a bruise or a mark, especially with pitchers throwing in the mid-to-high 90s. Throwing at a player's head can alter, or in some cases end, their lives.

Francona sees it the same way. The Reds manager is backing his star rookie in a big way. It's good to see.

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