A heated celebration by Cardinals reliever Abner Uribe during Tuesday night’s game against the Brewers has spilled into a new debate after former Cardinals pitcher Steve Kline called for retaliation during a Wednesday appearance. The Brewers won 6-0 at America
When Abner Uribe struck out Alec Burleson in the eighth inning on Tuesday night, the swing-and-miss moment was only half the story.
Uribe then turned toward the Cardinals’ dugout and performed a triple crotch-chop celebration in the style of WWE’s D-Generation X. It landed like a slap in the middle of a contest that had already turned uncomfortable for St. Louis. The Brewers beat the Cardinals 6-0 in the second game of a three-game series at American Family Field.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy didn’t dress it up. He called the celebration “embarrassing” and “unacceptable.” Uribe later apologized to his teammates, coaches, and Brewers fans—but not to the Cardinals.
The apology didn’t end the argument, either. Uribe also claimed that Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol had previously gestured that Brewers hitters would be thrown at earlier in the series. St. Louis denied that allegation.
On Wednesday evening, the dispute widened beyond the ballpark. Cardinal Territory posted a clip on X—formerly Twitter—showing Steve Kline. a former Cardinals reliever who pitched four seasons for the club. responding on the show where he appeared. Kline’s take carried the weight of the old-school, hard-edged style he was known for during his playing career.
“I think you just drill the first two players.”
Those words—tied directly to how he believes the club should handle disrespect—hit fast and split fans. Some viewed Kline’s stance as a reflection of how players used to respond when emotions boiled over on the field. Others pushed back, pointing out that intentional hit-by-pitches are now heavily discouraged.
The Cardinals and Brewers still have to manage the fallout from a moment that moved past a single celebration. Uribe’s apology may have soothed Milwaukee’s side. but Kline’s response shows how quickly a division series-style spark can travel outward into a broader. hotter conversation about unwritten rules. retaliation. and player safety.
Even after the Brewers completed the sweep, the debate didn’t stay in the dugouts. It’s now out in the open—between how the game used to handle disrespect, and how it’s expected to respond now.
St. Louis Cardinals Milwaukee Brewers Abner Uribe Steve Kline Pat Murphy Oliver Marmol Alec Burleson American Family Field D-Generation X hit-by-pitch retaliation
Triple crotch-chop celebration is wild lol.
So he apologized but not to the Cardinals? Kinda makes it worse in my head. Also “drill the first two players” sounds insane even if the celebration was disrespectful.
I don’t even get how this turned into a throw-at-somebody thing. Didn’t Uribe get like fined before for stuff like that? And the Marmol gesture thing… maybe they’re both just making excuses. Idk I’m not saying be soft, but sending a message by injuring someone seems backwards.
Old baseball is dumb sometimes. People act like because someone did an obnoxious dance you gotta retaliate. But also, I swear I heard Marmol told someone to hit them earlier in the series, so like who knows. If MLB wants player safety then stop letting grudges decide outcomes. And Steve Kline always struck me as the type that would say “just drill ‘em” without thinking what happens after.