Tensions flared at Fenway Park on Saturday night as the benches cleared in the seventh inning of the Red Sox’s 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros, following accusations of sign-stealing leveled by Houston reliever Hector Neris. The confrontation arose from a controversial intentional balk and verbal altercation, further muddying the waters of the Astros’ controversial past.
The incident occurred with Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story on second base. Neris, appearing convinced that Story was relaying pitch information to the batter, deliberately balked to move him to third. Catcher Carlos Narvaez then grounded out to end the inning, but as both teams exited the field, Neris directed heated words at Red Sox third-base coach Kyle Hudson. Hudson responded, prompting both benches and bullpens to rush onto the field. The umpires quickly de-escalated the situation, and no one threw punches or got ejected.
Benches clear in Boston after Hector Neris intentionally balked Trevor Story to third base because he thought Story was relaying signs. Neris had words for the Red Sox third base coach coming off the field pic.twitter.com/MxWccFu7F9
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Observers didn’t miss the irony of the Astros accusing another team of sign-stealing.
“Imagine the Astros being mad about stealing signs,” said former Red Sox player and broadcaster Will Middlebrooks. “But guess what? That’s part of the game when you can see the grip in a glove.”
The Astros’ own cheating scandal is still a fresh wound in MLB history. In 2020, Major League Baseball fined the franchise $5 million and stripped them of their first- and second-round draft picks for both 2020 and 2021 after confirming illegal sign-stealing during their 2017 World Series run. General manager Jeff Luhnow, manager A.J. Hinch, and then-Red Sox manager Alex Cora were all suspended for a year. Hinch later joined the Detroit Tigers and led them to the ALDS in 2024, while the Astros won another championship in 2022.
On the field, Saturday’s game featured strong performances from the Red Sox. Trevor Story led the offense with a two-run homer in the third inning that gave Boston a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. He, along with Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro, each homered as the Sox combined for 5 hits, 6 RBIs, 4 runs, and 3 home runs.
Both teams remain firmly in the playoff hunt. Houston sits atop the AL West with a 62-49 record, while Boston is 61-51, holding one of the AL Wild Card spots.
