The benches would clear between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins during Sunday's 5-1 victory that started when pitcher Sandy Alcantara hit Mark Vientos on the leg. It had been an intense series between the two teams, which included the Mets scoring 19 runs on Friday, but the Marlins got the upper hand on Sunday, possibly leading to the frustrations.
After Alcantara hit Vientos on the leg in the bottom of the seventh inning, the latte stared down the pitcher, which led to an exchange of words, prompting the benches to be cleared. While Vientos didn't share exactly what was shared between him and Alcantara, he expressed that there was “a lot of emotion” that came from wanting to get a “rally going” with New York down 5-0 at the time.
“Just a lot of emotions,” Vientos said, according to MLB.com. “A lot of emotions. Trying to get a rally going, and honestly, I'm just gonna keep it between us about what was said. But like I said, a lot of emotions, I wanted to do whatever I can for the team to get on base, and things just got heated.”
The benches and bullpens cleared after Sandy Alcántara hit Mark Vientos pic.twitter.com/A9JXpeFII3
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It was a strong outing for Alcantara as he went seven innings, striking out six batters and walking one, while allowing four hits. He would go through the pitch that led to hitting Vientos, and questioned the New York player's actions, though he would downplay the interaction.
“I don't know what he was thinking,” Alcantara said. “It was a changeup, and he started staring at me, and I didn't like that. It just happened. Sunday, you [are fired up], the next day, you are sitting at a bar drinking together. It just happened.”
Mets' Carlos Mendoza on the reaction from Mark Vientos
It had been a disappointing series for the Mets against the Marlins, as the latter would end up winning three of the four games in the stretch, which could have been a catalyst for the benches-clearing interaction. New York manager Carlos Mendoza would give his thoughts on the incident, admitting that the pitch from Alcantara wasn't meant to hit Vientos and that frustrations from both led to everything.
“I think, obviously, he's not trying to hit him there,” Mendoza said. “It was a changeup. I guess Sandy didn't like the way Vientos reacted. Nobody likes to get hit. And in the heat of the moment, obviously, Sandy didn't like the reaction, because he's not trying to hit him, and obviously Mark, he's frustrated because he got hit. That was all there was to it.”
There is no doubt that a benches-clearing incident between the Mets and the Marlins was bound to happen as the two are fierce rivals within the NL East, and have been for many years. New York looks to improve after finishing 73-64, which puts them second in the division as they start a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Monday afternoon.
