You had to know that this was coming sooner or later. After three days of building up tensions the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals decided to duke it out over hit batters. The fracas took place in the eighth inning with the game well in hand for the Cardinals who were up 10-5. Mets reliever Yoan Lopez buzzed a fastball past the ear of Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado who ducked out of the way.
Arenado started screaming at Lopez to come and get him leading both benches to clear in a scuffle that was put out as quickly as it started.
The benches have cleared after Yoan López threw up and in at Nolan Arenado. pic.twitter.com/VieEPQSKuu
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
The Mets have been the victim of hit by pitches all season thus far. On Thursday afternoon J.D. Davis was the latest to get drilled — on the leg — which led to retaliation by the Mets against Arenado. Overall 19 Mets have been hit by a pitch. First baseman Pete Alonso has been hit twice in the head.
J.D. Davis is hit in the foot with a pitch.
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
Ronnie: "How can you miss that badly on a 3-2 pitch?" pic.twitter.com/xHllYvQ2oY
The Mets have raised issue with the baseball’s, which they claim is slipping out of the hands of pitchers. But the overall sense from the Mets is they are tired of getting hit. Check out some of the reactions below.
Pete Alonso on the Mets continuing to be hit by pitches:
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
"I can't comprehend guys missing that badly. It's not even close. I just don't understand." pic.twitter.com/NcFJ48Xj8H
"I don't know how close it was. It just felt close. It was just high. I'm not saying he's trying to throw it up there. It's just the ball got away, but that's the problem with that stuff "
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
- Nolan Arenado on being pitched up and in by Yoan López pic.twitter.com/NHZlArbVva
Does Buck Showalter think Nolan Arenado's reaction was out of line?
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
"I know our player got hit in the head and went to first base" pic.twitter.com/E8W0XhW1N0
Yoan López received hi-fives in the dugout after the inning pic.twitter.com/Wky2vC8ucF
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 27, 2022
Even former Mets and Yankees legend Darryl Strawberry got into the mix telling the media that someone on the Mets needs to charge the mound.
“Come on, man, if they want to put a stop to their guys getting hit, somebody’s gotta charge the mound,” Strawberry told SNY. “I know the game is different now but at some point you have to let teams know that if they throw at you, they’re going to pay a price.”
Strawberry would know. The Mets teams from the 80s were involved in numerous fights throughout the 1980s, especially in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series.