The Milwaukee Brewers dropped their final game of their series against the Boston Red Sox by the score of 2-1. Fortunately, they had already won the first two games on Friday and Saturday, so they already had clinched a series victory. Milwaukee now heads home after a 4-5 road trip to take on the Craig Counsell-led Chicago Cubs in a four-game series at American Family Field. It will be Counsell’s first series in Milwaukee since he left to take the Cubs’ managerial job.
While the Brewers’ loss to the Red Sox on Sunday was low-scoring, it was not absent any fireworks. In the seventh inning, first base coach Quintin Berry had to be escorted to the dugout after he got into a shouting match with Boston relief pitcher Chris Martin. The benches cleared, making it the fourth time this season that Milwaukee has been involved in a bench-clearing incident.
No punches were thrown and no one was ejected, unlike the Brewers’ last dust up, which occurred against the Tampa Bay Rays and led to a few suspensions.
What Caused the Benches-Clearing Incident Between the Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox?
Christian Yelich grounded out to first base to end the top half of the seventh inning. Martin, who ran over to cover the bag, said some things to or in the direction of Berry, who had a strong reaction to it.
As many guessed, Martin took issue with the fact that the Brewers attempted to bunt their way on base a couple of times. After the game, he told reporters:
“I probably said some things under my breath. That was kind of directed at that inning. I’ll let you all determine what those things were. Heat of the moment. They bunted twice. You see there they bunted there at the end of the game. I didn’t like it. I know it’s part of the game. … I let ’em know. In this league, swing the bat.”
The Brewers had eight hits on the day, none of which were bunt singles.
Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Warns Teams that They Will Stand Up for Themselves
If there can be any one difference identified between the old Counsell-led Brewers and teams and this one managed by Pat Murphy, it is that this year’s team plays with a lot more grit and a great deal more aggression.
After the game, he made sure to let reporters (and the rest of MLB) know that his team will not take any form of aggression lightly:
“I think their pitcher showed some emotion and I think our people thought it was directed at them. I don’t know if it really was or it wasn’t. I’m not going to speculate what the kid was doing. But if you’re staring at somebody and you’re saying it, it could be interpreted that you’re saying it at them.
“But if you’re staring at somebody and you’re saying it, it could be interpreted that you’re saying it (to us). So you know, we take offense to you yelling at us and saying something and making it personal. We’re going to stand up for ourselves.”
Milwaukee has already been a part of four bench-clearing incidents this season, one of which resulted in punches (or slaps) thrown and a few suspensions. Based on the way they are approaching their season and how Murphy warns they will react in certain situations, it likely will not be the last.
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