A couple of fast-paced fastballs led their double headers to clear the bench between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs in Saturday’s Game 2 and lead to five ejections.
Reds starting pitcher Tej Anton threw a 96-mile fastball that hit Anthony Rizo in the head in the fourth inning. The bench of Rizo and Cubs clearly took exception. Anton looked at his hand after he threw the pitch.
The umpires flinched and warned both benches. After warning the managers of both teams, home-plate umpire Nick Lentz caught Cub coach Mike Borzello out of the dubout. Cubs manager David Ross came out of the ditch to argue and kicked him out.
Ross was fired for the first time in his managerial career.
“It was intentional,” Rose later said. “I have no doubt in my mind.”
Rizzo hit two solo homers in Game 1 of the doubleheader and a double in his first game of Game 2.
Halfway through the fourth inning, Edbert Alzole, relieving the Cubs, threw a high fastball to Shogo Akiama. Joey Wattoo and Kyle Schwarber exchanged their wrong words.
Reds manager David Belle jogged the field to provide with Lentz and crew chief Angel Hernandez. About a minute into Bell’s conversation with the umpires, Rizo appeared to tell Bell that the delay was too long, and asked the bench to clear.
There was no pressure or punch thrown, only the words are exchanged with the first base line. The Reds pulled out three men: Bell, Wattoo and Jesse Winker. Voto and Winker were once ruled out by first base umpire Dan Bellino.
Bell was dropped for the third time this season and for the 11th time in his career. This is the second time Watto has been fired this year (11 in his career) and the first time this year for Winker (in his career).
