The Yankees’ 8-5 win over the Pirates had already settled into a quiet rhythm when the temperature suddenly shot up in the eighth inning.
At Yankee Stadium on Monday night, both benches and bullpens emptied after a heated exchange around second base, turning the opener of a three-game series into one of the night’s more combustible moments. Players from both teams sprinted onto the field and gathered near the bag, with teammates and coaches trying to keep things from getting out of hand. There was plenty of shouting and shoving, but the scene cooled before it could become a bigger fight.
MLB posted video of the moment on social media and wrote, "Benches clear in the 8th inning of the Pirates-Yankees game in New York,"
The flashpoint came after Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna grounded into a double play with Ryan O'Hearn running from first base. The Yankees turned it from second to shortstop and then to first, forcing O'Hearn at second. That play around the bag set off the confrontation and brought both sides onto the field.
There were no immediate reports of punches or ejections, and the game continued with New York still up three runs.
The outburst arrived after a game that had already delivered plenty of offense early and then gone quiet. Pittsburgh and New York combined for 13 runs in the first three innings, but neither club scored again after the Yankees grabbed an 8-5 lead in the bottom of the third.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. did the heavy lifting for New York before the benches cleared. He opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the first inning to put the Yankees ahead 4-0, then came back in the third with another two-run blast to restore the lead after Pittsburgh had briefly gone in front 5-4.
The Pirates had answered New York’s early burst with three runs in the second and two more in the third, getting a two-run, 436-foot homer from Esmerlyn Valdez. But the Yankees responded right away, and José Caballero later added a two-run double to extend the lead to 8-5.
Chisholm finished with two homers and five RBIs, carrying much of the offense for a Yankees lineup missing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and several other key players because of injuries.
The game also carried some weight in the standings. Pittsburgh entered Monday at 52-48 and tied with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, while the Yankees started the night 55-44 and two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
The teams are set to play again Tuesday and Wednesday in the Bronx, and after Monday’s exchange, the rest of the series figures to have a little extra edge.
In Other News...
Mets Deadline Shift Could Hand Pirates The Bullpen Fix They Need
The Mets decision to sell at the deadline could give the Pirates a timely opening if they want to shore up a bullpen that still looks like one of the cleaner places to upgrade. New York is making most of its roster available, and that includes the kind of late-inning arms Pittsburgh has been hunting for as it tries to turn a solid overall roster into a more reliable one in close games.
For the Pirates, the appeal is obvious: they do not need a wholesale makeover, just a few more trustworthy outs when games tighten up in the late innings. That is why the Mets bullpen situation matters so much in Pittsburgh, where the front office can now weigh fit, health and cost against a market that suddenly has more options than it did a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Could Make One Deadline Move Fans Never Saw Coming
Even with the Pirates hanging around the playoff race, the front office may be thinking more about fit than sentiment as the deadline approaches. Bob Nightengale reported that Pittsburgh has enough outfield depth to at least listen on Oneil Cruz, a player whose talent has always made him one of the most intriguing names on the roster but who has not fully matched the expectations that followed him to the majors.
Cruz is currently on the 60-day injured list with a hand injury, and the timing only adds another layer to a decision that could say plenty about how aggressive the Pirates want to be. If the club is serious about upgrading the bullpen and possibly adding another starter, moving a recognizable piece from a crowded outfield would be a bold way to do it, especially with the deadline pressure starting to build. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Reached A Crucial Spencer Horwitz Turning Point
Spencer Horwitz is finally moving toward a return, with the Pirates first baseman slated to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on July 21. It is the kind of checkpoint Pittsburgh has been waiting for after Horwitz went down in late June, and it gives the club a clearer sense of when one of its more stable bats might be back in the mix.
The timing matters because the Pirates have been piecing together their lineup around a wave of injuries, including absences for Endy Rodrguez, Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz. Horwitzs return would help steady a spot that has already required some shuffling, and the next step will be seeing how he responds once game action resumes in Bradenton. [Read more 🡒]