BRAWL-OUT WAR
Benches clear three times, eight ejected as Yanks and Tigers exchange beanballs
DETROIT— All hell broke loose at Comerica Park between the Tigers and Yankees on Thursday, with the benches clearing three times, eight players ejected and punches being thrown by Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera and the Yankees’ Austin Romine that led to even more fireworks.
When the dust settled, the Yankees lost 10-6 and may find themselves without Gary Sanchez, who could be suspended for throwing punches at Cabrera and Nick Castellanos after coming off the bench.
There could be other discipline handed down by MLB — including to reliever Tommy Kahnle — but Sanchez has been the game’s best hitter this month.
“I’m sure there’s gonna be suspensions on both sides,” Joe Girardi said. “That’s upsetting to me, too, because we’re fighting for something.”
The fireworks began when Kahnle threw his first pitch to Cabrera behind the first baseman’s back at 96 mph in the sixth inning with Detroit leading 6-3.
Kahnle was immediately ejected, setting off Girardi, who was quickly tossed — furious Kahnle didn’t receive a warning or that Detroit starter Michael Fulmer suffered no consequences for hitting Sanchez, who had already homered against the Tigers for the third straight game, with a pitch earlier.
After Aroldis Chapman warmed up, Cabrera and Romine began jawing. Romine stood, removed his mask and Cabrera shoved him before the two wrestled each other to the ground — leading to the first bench-clearing brawl.
Cabrera and Romine were both ejected.
“He asked if I had a problem with him,” Romine said. “I said, ‘This isn’t about you’ and then he pushed me. I felt like he wanted a confrontation and I tried to defend myself the best I could.” Cabrera saw things differently. “First of all, when they threw at me, it was OK,” Cabrera said. “When [Romine] started arguing with the umpire, I said to Romine, ‘ Calm down.’ He said, ‘Don’t [expletive] tell me what to do.’ ”
Since the umpires apparently didn’t see Sanchez belting Cabrera, he was allowed to stay in the game, take over for Romine behind the plate and tie the game with a single later.
“I was in the dugout and I see Romine rolling on the [ground] with the other guys,” Sanchez said through an interpreter of his involvement in the fight. “At that moment, just instincts take over because you want to defend your teammate. That’s your family out there. … It was just a reaction.”
Girardi defended his team’s reaction, despite the potential toll it might take.
“It got to the heat of the moment and boys are gonna be boys in the heat of the moment,” Girardi said. “If you’re not gonna allow us to protect ourselves, what are you gonna allow us to do?”
Girardi pointed to the fifth, when Fulmer plunked the red-hot Sanchez.
“If you can’t see that Fulmer clearly hit Sanchez on purpose, there’s something wrong,” Girardi said. “I think it really could have been avoidable.’’
Fulmer was visited by the trainer after landing awkwardly on the pitch and no warning was issued by homeplate umpire Carlos Torres.
For his part, Fulmer was adamant he didn’t throw at Sanchez intentionally.
And Girardi also noted the issues the teams had last month, when Kahnle hit Mikie Mahtook in the head with a 98-mph fastball. Mahtook shook it off, but Tigers manager Brad Ausmus called out Kahnle at the time. In the same game, Fulmer retaliated by plunking Jacoby Ellsbury.
Dellin Betances came on to start the bottom of the seventh after the Yankees had rallied to tie it 6-6 and promptly drilled James McCann square on the helmet with a 98-mph fastball.
As McCann stayed on the ground, the umpires discussed the situation and eventually tossed Betances, who insisted he wasn’t throwing at the catcher.
“We’re out here trying to fight for a playoff spot and for me to get thrown out there, I thought it shouldn’t have happened,” Betances said. “Obviously, there’s no intention there. In my mind, I’m thinking I’m going to try to go two innings. We just scored three runs [to tie the game] and that’s the last thing I want to do right there.
“I feel like me being thrown out there cost us the game.”
Bench coach Rob Thompson, who had taken over for Girardi, argued the decision and he also was ejected.
Once order had been restored — a gain — Betances’ replacement, David Robertson, hit John Hicks with a pitch, as the Yankees continued to unravel, with Jose Iglesias delivering a three-run double to give Detroit the lead for good.
But the drama was far from over, as Alex Wilson drilled Todd Frazier in the hip with one out in the eighth, causing the benches to empty — again.
“I thought it was over with,” Frazier said. “What are you gonna do? That last one there was uncalled for.”
Gardner appeared to go after Ausmus, but Gardner stayed in the game, while Ausmus was tossed for Wilson’s actions.
There were no fireworks in the first two games of the series.
“I understand why the Yankees were upset by it,” Ausmus said. “It wasn’t a surprise that they sent a message back and at that point, I thought it would be over. You don’t see games like this very often — and for good reason. There’s injury concerns. And I hope I never see one again. But it happened, it’s over, we’ll move on.”
It’s unclear what impact this will have on the Yankees’ playoff chase.
“You can’t lay down,” Frazier said. “These are things that you don’t forget. … I think, honestly, it brought us together.”