Eight ejected after wild Mariners-Angels brawl
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels engaged in a lengthy full-team brawl in the second inning Sunday after tensions over two days of inside pitches boiled over.
Seattle’s Jesse Winker was hit by the first pitch of the second inning by Angels opener Andrew Wantz, who had also thrown a pitch behind the head of the Mariners’ No. 2 hitter, Julio Rodriguez, in the first inning.
Six players and both managers were ejected after the brawl that resulted in a delay of approximately 18 minutes.
Ejected for the Mariners were: Winker, Rodriguez, shortstop J.P. Crawford and manager Scott Servais. Ejected for the Angels were Wantz, pitchers Ryan Tepera and Raisel Iglesias and interim manager Phil Nevin.
The first pitch appeared to be a response to Erik Swanson’s 95 mph fastball near Mike Trout’s head on Saturday night, infuriating the three-time AL MVP.
Winker reacted to the pitch by angrily yelling and gesturing at the Angels’ dugout, and the sides charged each other moments later. The brawl lasted about four minutes, with people from both teams appearing to throw multiple punches. Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who is out for the season with an injured right wrist, used his left hand to shove Winker in the face during the brawl.
When Winker finally left the field, he appeared to make an obscene gesture at the jeering Angels fans behind Seattle’s dugout.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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