Detroit Tigers star Framber Valdez was ejected and slammed by his own manager after the pitcher hit the Red Sox’s Trevor Story with a 94-mph fastball in an incident that cleared both benches.
No punches were thrown but chaos ensued during the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game, after home runs from Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu gave the Red Sox an 10-2 lead.
Valdez then struck Story with a fastball on the next pitch, with the two having to be kept apart.
That prompted both benches to empty, with Story later insisting it was ‘pretty undisputable’ that Valdez hit him intentionally.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy agreed and added: ‘I thought it was weak… everybody saw it. Their side, our side, I think everybody saw it.’
The pitcher was ejected – despite claiming through an interpreter: ‘It was not intentional… it might look like it, but it wasn’t.’
Both benches cleared after Framber Valdez hit Trevor Story with a 94-mph fastball
The pitcher was ejected despite claiming through an interpreter: ‘It was not intentional’
Tigers manager AJ Hinch struggled to defend his pitcher following the controversial incident
But even Valdez’s own team struggled to defend him. ‘We play a really good brand of baseball here, but that didn’t feel like it,’ Tigers manager AJ Hinch said.
‘It’s not judging intent. I have no idea. But when you go out on the field and end up in those confrontations, you usually feel like you are in the right. It didn’t feel good being out there this time.’
It is not the first controversial incident involving the pitcher in recent years.
Last season, when playing for the Houston Astros, he was accused of deceiving his own catcher and deliberately hitting him in the chest with a pitch. Both Valdez and the catcher later insisted it wasn’t intentional.
A suspension for Valdez would be damaging for the Tigers, who are down to three healthy starting pitchers with Tariq Skubal (elbow), Casey Mize (hamstring) and Justin Verlander (hip) all on the injured list.
