Benches Clear In Cubs-Reds After Bold Pitcher Stare-Down

Reds reliever Amir Garrett punctuated an inning-ending strikeout of Javier Baez in the seventh inning Saturday with a triumphant shout, loud enough to be audible over the television broadcast, followed by an aggressive stare-down of his vanquished foe. Unwritten rules and athlete egos being what they are, this did not sit well with the Cubs:

No punches were thrown in the scrum, but it sure looked like Baez wound up to chuck his bat at Barrett as the two players were separated by teammates. The Cubs, who were down two runs at the time, rallied in the eighth inning to tie the game with a dinger and an RBI double. But the Reds had the last laugh, plating the winning run in the 11th inning on a bases-loaded walk.

The Cubs and Reds play the second leg of today’s back-to-back later in the evening. Garrett will probably not pitch, and he will almost certainly not step to the plate, but it would surprise roughly no one if a Reds batter is given a retaliatory plunk.