The Mets-Cardinals series in St. Louis came to a close on Thursday, with both teams nearly coming to blows in a bench-clearing brawl in the eighth inning.
Yoan Lopez stood on the mound for the Mets when Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado stepped up to the plate with a 10-5 lead for St. Louis. Lopez’s opening pitch skated near Arenado, leaving him visibly upset. Several seconds of exchange between the two players were quickly followed by teammates from both dugouts and outfields rushing toward the mound to get in on the action.
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Notably, Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp was spotted taking down Mets first baseman Pete Alonso early in the altercation.
The play came half an inning after Mets third baseman J.D. Davis left the game after being hit by Genesis Cabrera’s pitch. Davis visibly appeared to be in pain.
The Cardinals shut out the Mets in the ninth inning to claim the 10-5 victory. This was the only win for St. Louis this series. The Mets won the first two matchups by a combined score of 8-2.
Following the game, both managers weighed in on the altercation, defending their team’s actions.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he “took exception” with the pitch and accused Lopez of “jeopardizing [Arenado’s] career and life.”
Meanwhile, Buck Showalter, manager of the Mets, responded by simply contrasting Arenado’s reaction to Alonso’s when he sustained a pitch to the head in the first game of this series.
This is the second bench-clearing incident of the season for the Mets. New York previously faced off against the Washington Nationals in the second game of the year when shortstop Francisco Lindor took a hard pitch to the face.
New York currently leads the MLB with 14 wins. Meanwhile, St. Louis owns a 10-7 record, good for second in the NL Central.
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The two teams will meet again for a four-game series in New York starting on May 16.