Boston Red Sox
Orioles right fielder Blaze Alexander had words for Boston second baseman Nick Sogard in the eighth inning on Friday.
Friday night’s game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Sox, but there was more to the contest than what the box score shows.
Boston’s red-hot Mickey Gasper launched a first-inning solo home run in the second at-bat of the game to score the game’s lone run. From then on, things were quiet — until the eighth inning.
Orioles center fielder Luis Robert Jr. grounded into a double play to end the frame, with right fielder Blaze Alexander being the out at second base. Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story flipped the ball to Nick Sogard, who threw it over to Gasper at first, then chaos ensued in the middle of the infield.
Alexander appeared to chirp in the direction of Sogard after the play, which then cleared both teams’ benches.
It wasn’t immediately clear what set Alexander off, and the majority of those participating in the extracurriculars didn’t seem to know, either.
Alexander’s slide was a bit suspect as he stuck his right arm out toward Sogard.
After the game, Alexander explained that Sogard looked back at him after he slid, and that’s what set him off.
“I wanted to know why I’m getting stared at,” Alexander said (via MLB.com’s Jake Rill). “Yeah, that’s really it.”
“I don’t know why they’re upset. I didn’t touch them,” Alexander added (via The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Meyer).
Sogard explained why he looked back at Alexander. He said there was no ill intent behind his stare.
“It’s a competitive game. He slid in pretty hard,” Sogard said. “I didn’t have a problem with the slide. We turned the double play. I was just looking back to see how far he went.
“I don’t know if he liked me looking back. That was pretty much it.”
Sogard was asked if he said anything to Alexander that could have caused a problem, and he said he didn’t until Alexander started chirping at him.
“I think he plays hard,” Sogard said of Alexander. “He was kind of talking the whole game to Ranger [Suarez] and the whole deal. I think that’s kind of — I don’t know if that’s his deal or what. That’s about it.”
Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz said he had no problem with Alexander going back and forth with the Red Sox and that he appreciates the player’s energy.
“He’s fiery, competitive, he’s trying to win at all times,” Albernaz said (via Meyer). “I love what Blaze brings to the table. He’s just trying to go out there to win, nothing malicious. He’s a fiery competitor and he’s a winner, he’s a gamer, everything.”
Boston’s interim manager Chad Tracy wasn’t initially aware of what happened to cause the benches-clearing situation, but he ultimately didn’t see the incident as a big deal.
“I just was trying to figure it out myself right now. I just think there was some chirping,” he said. “Not a big deal. Not a huge thing. It’s one of those things where everybody’s out there and it looks like a bigger deal than it is. But I just think there was some chirping in our direction and they took exception. That’s all.”
After their win, the Red Sox found themselves seven games back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East and firmly in the A.L.’s second wild-card spot. The Orioles are fighting with a slew of A.L. teams for the third and final wild-card and are in last place in the division.
Sogard partly chalked the benches-clearing moment up to it being an important game for both teams as the regular season nears its end.
“It was a competitive game,” he said. “Division opponent. Close game. I think teams are just playing hard and trying to win.”
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