It didn't take long for tempers to flare between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers this season. During the season-opening series between the NL Central rivals, Andrew McCutchen found himself the victim of a Keegan Thompson beanball that resulted in the benches clearing from both teams. Following the scuffle, MLB has issued a punishment to the Cubs' hurler, suspending Thompson for three games, according to Jon Heyman.

MLB deemed Thompson's pitch was intentionally thrown at McCutchen, and has thus taken action to discipline the 27-year-old right-hander. Thompson has hit three batters in his MLB career, two of whom played for the Brewers.

The game saw a number of batters get hit by pitches, with Cubs duo Ian Happ and Willson Contreras getting plunked earlier in the outing, as well as Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich. After McCutchen was hit in the eighth inning, tempers flared and the benches cleared, prompting the disciplinary action.

The Cubs and Brewers' rivalry has escalated over the past few years, and tensions boiled over on Sunday. More than 50 players have been hit by pitches over the last three seasons when these two teams square off, indicating just how much animosity exists between the NL Central ball clubs.

Their season-opening series ended Sunday, and they're next scheduled to meet on April 29 for a three-game series in Milwaukee. While they'll have a few weeks to cool down in between their next meeting, fans can be sure to expect the unfriendly nature of their rivalry to carry right on over. The Cubs won two of the three games in the series, with one game being postponed due to inclement weather.