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Victor Martinez has 'no respect' for Pirates after 'intentional' hit by pitch
The interleague series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers got off to an intense start Tuesday night at Comerica Park.
The spark happened in the fourth inning when Tigers starter Justin Verlander clipped Pittsburgh's Starling Marte on the forearm with a 1-2 pitch. During the next half-inning, Pirates' ace Gerrit Cole drilled Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez with a 95-mph fastball to the backside. That did not sit well with Martinez, who shot a glare toward Cole as he slowly made his way to first base.
Martinez wasn't alone in feeling the pitch was intentional. In the next half-inning, Justin Verlander returned the favor again by drilling Pedro Alvarez with his first pitch. At that point, both benches were warned, but the bad blood was already boiling and it doesn't appear to have settled down as the teams entered play on Wednesday.
In fact, Martinez was quoted as saying he's lost respect for the Pirates organization as a result of the perceived targeting, which sets the stage for some more potential hostilities.
"I mean, I have no respect for no one on that team, including Cole and their coaching staff," said Martinez, who was adamant that Cole intentionally hit him.
"Yeah, everyone knows that," Martinez said when asked by 97.1-FM's Jeff Riger if he thought it was a retaliation pitch.
Martinez is casting a wide net, but he's probably safe to assume the Pirates are in this together.
As we noted over the weekend, the Pirates have grown frustrated this season with the number of times they've been hit by a pitch. Entering play on Wednesday they've been hit a league-high 44 times. Andrew McCutchen, who's been hit 27 times over the past three seasons, was particularly annoyed after being forced from Saturday's game after being hit on the left elbow by Atlanta's Julio Teheran.
McCutchen later joked that he might dropkick the next pitcher who plunks him, but the greater point was clear and serious. He's fed up with the aches, pains, bumps and even the broken rib he sustained last season, and the Pirates as a whole are losing patience.
With that said, Cole and the Pirates weren't admitting to any form of retaliation in Tuesday's game. Here's what Cole had to say on the subject.
"I mean, that's his opinion, man. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I can't control who he respects and who he doesn't."
Added Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.
"I wasn't aware that [Martinez] was the voice of reason," said Hurdle, adding that he is "never surprised by what players say."
The problem with the Pirates being so outspoken is that it will immediately create suspicion when an opponent is hit. It's also likely to create a few new enemies for them moving forward. We can already count Victor Martinez among them, and one can also bet the league will be taking a closer look at how business is handled as well.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
