The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles have been embroiled in a classic divisional battle, full of animosity, close games, and hit-by-pitches. Yankees relief pitcher Victor Gonzales drilled Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson with a fastball in the seventh inning Wednesday night, which some thought may have been a retaliation for Baltimore hitting Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres on Tuesday.
Gonzalez claimed it wasn't on purpose after the game, via YES Network.
“No, not at all,” Gonzalez said through an interpreter. “You're trying to execute pitches when you're out there and competing. You're trying to execute an inside pitch there. Every time you're out there, you're trying to execute the best pitch you can. Like I said, it just slipped out there.”
Gonzalez did admit, though, that the level of competition between the teams has been intense.
“You have two teams that are battling for the division,” he continued. “Everybody's competing at a high quality, and like I said, you want to execute and do the best you can to give your team the best shot possible.”
Henderson eventually scored on a fielding error after getting plunked, which ended up being the difference in the game. Baltimore took a 5-1 lead after his run, and it won 7-6 in 10 innings.
The Orioles broadcast notably took issue with the Yankees' pitching Wednesday night, saying “shame on them” after Henderson got plunked, via @FourSavages.
While players will rarely admit it in interviews, pitchers at the MLB level know what they're doing. There's little doubt that New York adopted an “eye for an eye” mentality after Baltimore injured Judge Tuesday.
Were the Yankees immature, or were they well within their right to hit back?
The Yankees may have shot themselves in the foot Wednesday, but the pitching was fair game
It's surprising how upset Baltimore's broadcasters were. Baseball teams have been petty about hit-by-pitches since the game was invented, and it won't stop anytime soon. Nobody is trying to kill each other, but once a team hits multiple batters in the same game, all bets are off.
That rule of thumb applies even more when the pitchers hit them at or above the hands. The closer the ball is to the face, the more sensitive the situation gets. Getting hit by major-league fastballs is painful, and it's okay to not always take the high road, regardless of intention.
At the same time, New York should be careful. It could've won the game if it didn't intentionally put Henderson on base Wednesday night, and now its division lead over the Orioles is back to a slim 1.5 games. The Yankees would be smart to end the petty subplot here and focus on winning the rubber match on Thursday without any extracurricular activities.
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