We've seen just about everything this year and most of its been comically bad: a guy getting hit in the face with a flyball, a guy climbing the fence for a ball that lands on the warning track, Angel Berroa's pursuit of out-perfection, etc.
Tonight we saw something else: an in-game, in-dugout fight between Runelyvs Hernandez and John Buck. Postgame, details also came out on WHB that Hernandez and Bell fought at some point earlier in the year. Because the Royals are still in 1955 however, it was never reported. This is still an environment where the team revokes pres credentials for, umm, asking questions.
From the Associated Press:
After striking out Ryan Garko with two runners on base to end the third inning, Hernandez jogged to the dugout, turned and pointed at Buck and began yelling. The two players charged each other and began throwing punches before being separated by teammates and coaches.
[...]
Hernandez and Buck both came back out onto the field for the bottom of the fourth.
Umm. OK.
On baseball tonight Jeff Brantley suggested that Buck was to blame for calling the same pitch over and over. Brantley also mentioned that a good suggestion would have been for Run to intentionally cross-up Buck.
Not sure what that would have accomplished.
As expected, the team put the lockdown on the media postgame:
?We were told pretty strongly,? one player said, ?not to talk about it.?
That probably explains Hernandez?s short-term amnesia and Buck?s response of ?absolutely nothing? when asked what he had to say about the incident.
Bell said, ?There was some sort of misunderstanding. Something was said, and both of those guys are extremely competitive. I will tell you this: There has to be a little more poise involved than that.?
"Antidecaf" notes,
Same old Royals, when times are good, they're great to talk to, open, friendly, and full of awe-shucksterism. As soon as something bad happens, or the team losses ten straight, or they say they're going to fire someone then don't for three weeks, then its impossible to speak with them. Some poor guy from the New York Times tried to reach the Royals for two weeks earlier in the season.
Buck, displaying true heroism, ripped a single in the 8th inning. Tears welled up in my eyes as a I saw him standing on first base. Do you believe in miracles?? Yes! Going 1-2 after punching your pitcher, amazing!
Ohh yea, the Royals won. An epic 55th win of the season, before 18,000 rabid Indians fans, that we will remember for the rest of our lives as a powerful affirmation of the human spirit.
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