The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels got involved in a lengthy brawl of the entire team in Sunday’s second inning after tensions for two days of domestic games boiled over.
Both managers and six players were kicked out after the battle, which stopped and began twice before Russell Iglesias returned to the empty field to throw a tub of sunflower seeds and another bucket of chewing gum on the field. Three of Seattle’s first four strikers were thrown, while three angels pitchers were thrown.
Seattle’s Jesse Winker was hit from the first pitch in the second inning by Angels scorer Andrew Wonz, who had also thrown the pitch behind the head of second Mariners striker Julio Rodriguez in the first inning.
The first pitch to Rodriguez seemed to be a response to Eric Swanson’s fast ball of 95 mph near Mike Trout’s head in the ninth inning on Saturday night, a throw that infuriated the three-time MVP in AL. The judges gathered across the field, but issued only warnings to both dugouts.
Winker responded to the blow with angry shouts and gestures to the dugout of the Angels, and the parties pounced on each other moments later, as both the benches and the furs emptied. The fight lasted about four minutes, and it seems that people from both teams struck several blows.
When Winker finally left the field, he seemed to make an obscene gesture to the mocking Angels fans behind the Seattle dugout.
After the teams returned to their dugouts, Iglesias returned a few moments later to throw in the sunflower seeds and gum as he shouted furiously at the judges.
Los Angeles interim manager Phil Nevin and Seattle’s Scott Servais have been fired. The Angels lost to Vanz, Iglesias and Riley Tepera, while Winker, Rodriguez and JP Crawford were thrown to the Mariners.
The zero-scoring game was delayed by about 18 minutes and resumed with pinch runner Adam Fraser in first place for Seattle and Jose Suarez on the mound for Los Angeles.
AL West’s rivals met for the eighth time in 11 days. The Angels won Sunday’s game 2-1.
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