CHICAGO – Christian Yelich and Justin Smoak hit long home runs, the umpires stepped in before a yelling game between the teams got too serious and the Milwaukee Brewers bypassed the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Saturday.
With no fans at Wrigley Field, players from both Central National League rivals could be heard yelling at each other from their shelters before the start of the fourth inning.
All-star receiver Willson Contreras seemed to bark louder from the warning lane in front of the Cubs’ shelter, and several players from both sides appeared on the ground near their benches. The umpires stepped in and calmed things down quickly before the players could cross the foul lines.
In an in-game interview during the Brewers broadcast, Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said empty stadiums could create a new dynamic on the field.
“I think this will be part of this season,” Counsell said. “Both shelters can listen to each other and the referees can hear everything. There’s talk of that in the game that is never heard by all the fans here. It’s just part of the game.”
Brewers starter Corbin Burnes said the screech “was one of those things that built up from the first pitch.”
The Cubs’ manager, David Ross, agreed, without naming an instigator.
“I think if you’re in the shelter now in this environment, you’re going to expect some of that,” Ross said. “That will generate some intensity. I don’t know how it all started.”
The same for Kyle Schwarber, who hit a two-run homer deep to the right. He said players know COVID-19 protocols that limit physical contact and that breaking them could lead to suspension.
“Today was just one of the cases where both teams came and went,” Schwarber said. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just baseball.”
“We will have to be careful with the new rules and not be able to get into the game,” he said.
Cubs star Javier Báez was hit by a pitch in the first and Milwaukee’s Omar Narvaez sank in the fourth and fifth.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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