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Miguel Sano ejected for throwing punch during melee between Tigers and Twins
A fracas broke out in Minneapolis on Saturday, and it wasn’t at the St. Louis Blues-Minnesota Wild NHL playoff game at the Target Center.
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano and Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd were both ejected during the fifth inning moments after Sano took exception to having a pitch thrown behind him.
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Sano immediately pointed at Boyd, then threw what umpire Mike Everitt deemed to be a punch at catcher James McCann as he attempted to get between the heated combatants.
Within moments, both benches emptied onto the field. Fortunately, the situation was calmed down without any further incident. Still, Sano could have to answer for his punch, or perhaps what would more aptly be described as a forearm shiver, which will likely be viewed as an aggressive action that led to tensions escalating.
Sano pointed to Boyd after the pitch, but it was Sano shoving James McCann after he tried to get in between them that set things off.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 22, 2017
Looking at replays, Sano might have gotten upset because McCann's glove came up in Sano's face
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) April 22, 2017
McCann did get his glove up in Sano’s face, so there will be a lot to sort out when the league looks at this one again.
Here’s how McCann saw it:
McCann: "I think we were just trying to pitch in right there. Must have gotten away from him."
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 22, 2017
McCann of Sano: "I saw him wag his finger at my pitcher, and as far as I'm concerned, you're not going to do that while I'm catching."
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 22, 2017
McCann on contact with Sano: "I'd have to watch the film. I honestly don't know."
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 22, 2017
Earlier in the game, Tigers outfielder JaCoby Jones was forced to leave after being hit in the face by a 90 mph fastball from Twins hurler Justin Haley:
This hurts every time I watch it. Jacoby Jones hit by pitch in the face. #DetroitTigers. #Tigers #HitByPitch pic.twitter.com/0iMeTQv1MR
— Southbound Sports (@sboundsports) April 22, 2017
The umpires viewed Boyd’s pitch as payback for the pitch that hit Jones.
Crew chief Mike Everitt said Boyd was ejected for intentionally throwing at Sano, in the crew's judgment. 1/2 @Tigers
— George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) April 22, 2017
It’s pretty clear Sano saw it the same way.
Haley’s earlier pitch was clearly not intentional, but sometimes teams like to send messages anyway when one of their players has been injured. If Boyd’s pitch is deemed intentional by the league, he’ll definitely face a fine and suspension.
Fortunately, no one was injured during this specific incident. We’re still awaiting official word on Jones’ condition.
JaCoby Jones has a large gash of upper lip. Getting CT scan at the hospital right now.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 22, 2017
The Tigers went on to win the game 5-4 with a James McCann sacrifice fly holding up as the winning run.
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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!
