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Not again: Benches clear after Kelvin Herrera throws at Brett Lawrie
It's been quite a hostile weekend for the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. Tempers flared Friday, when Brett Lawrie's hard slide injured Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.
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The Royals responded Saturday by plunking Lawrie in the elbow. Pitcher Yordano Ventura was immediately ejected from the game, and benches cleared, though no punches were thrown.
In most circumstances, that would be the end of the feud. In this instance, things boiled over again Sunday. Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain was hit on the foot in the first inning by A's starter Scott Kazmir. After the game, Kazmir suggested it was unintentional.
Kazmir, on pitch that hit Cain. "It wasn't intentional. ... I don’t think anyone tries to throw at someone’s toe" if they want to hit them.
— Joe Stiglich (@JoeStiglichCSN) April 19, 2015
Both benches were warned and Royals manager Ned Yost was ejected after Kazmir was allowed to remain in the game.
Things escalated again the in eighth. Kelvin Herrera threw a 100 mph pitch behind Lawrie's head, and was immediately ejected from the game. Lawrie was able to keep things together at first, but erupted after seeing Herrera point to his head as he was leaving the field.
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Lawrie interpretted Herrera's gesture to mean Herrera was going to hit him in the head next time the two meet. Herrera claims the pitch slipped, and was telling Lawrie to "think about it."
Kelvin Herrera says his grip slipped on that pitch to Brett Lawrie. He said he pointed to his head to say "Think about it."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) April 19, 2015
Lawrie had some choice words for Herrera following the game, according to the Kansas City Star.
Benches cleared for the second straight day, though clearer heads mostly prevailed. Both interim manager Don Wakamatsu and Alcides Escobar were ejected in the ensuing argument.
Wakamatsu was automatically ejected since both teams had already been warned. Escobar was thrown out after yelling from the dugout. Hitting coach Dale Sveum managed the rest of the game for Kansas City. The Royals went on to win the game 4-2.
Billy Butler, who spent his first eight seasons in Kansas City before joining the A's during the offseason, said he didn't feel as though the situation was "handled right," according to the Kansas City Star.
The two teams are set to meet three more times this season. Given the emotions following Sunday's game, it's tough to see the two sides reconciling before the next series. The two clubs won't play until June, so let's hope cooler heads prevail before then.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
