The benches have cleared after Yoan López threw up and in at Nolan Arenado. pic.twitter.com/VieEPQSKuu
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
SNY analyst Ron Darling said it was going to get ugly over the final two innings of Wednesday’s Mets-Cardinals game. And he was right.
JD Davis was hit in the left foot in the top of the eighth — the 19th Mets batter to be hit this season. And with the Cardinals up 10-5 in the getaway game, the Mets decided to finally respond.
Reliever Yoan Lopez went up and in on Cardinals star Nolan Arenado in the bottom half of the frame. Arenado took exception to the brushback pitch, tempers flared and then the dugouts cleared. The bullpens did, too. Arenado and Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp were ejected.
It was only a matter of time. Multiple Mets have been hit over the course of this series, including Pete Alonso, who was plunked in the head Tuesday night (the pitch cracked his helmet). And the Mets have had several HBP scares already this year during their Major League-leading start, as well as another bench-clearing incident earlier this year in Washington against the Nationals.
Mets manager Buck Showalter told reporters before the game the organization has contacted MLB with concerns about pitchers being unable to get sufficient grip on the baseball.
“It’s a concern,” Showalter said. “It’s about safety and health. Trying to get your hands around why is important. It’s pretty obvious it’s an issue. We’re not talking about balls that are grazing people’s feet. We’re lucky. We’re very lucky that we’re sitting here, with the number of balls that have been at the head and the neck and the face, that we haven’t had some real serious injury.
“Billy (Eppler, the Mets’ general manager) and I have been talking to the league. We do our homework on other teams and what’s been going on with them. I understand. But I’m worried about one team. I’m not worried about the other 29 teams. I’ve talked to the league office, Billy has.”
