Tensions Between Mets and Cardinals Remain High After Brawl

“I’ll let them handle their players. I know our player got hit in the head and went to first base,” manager Buck Showalter said.

Tensions between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets finally boiled over in the bottom of the eighth inning during the team’s series finale. Mets reliever Yoan López threw high and inside on the Cardinals Nolan Arenado to open the half-inning. Arenado, enraged, stormed the mound causing benches to be cleared and one New York Met to be tackled to the ground.

The Mets have let their play do the talking as they’ve been hit by a league-high 19 pitches this season. The Cardinals hit Mets batters five times during the three-game series. The last one from Cardinals pitcher Genesis Cabrera on J.D. Davis resulted in Davis having to leave the game.

The brawl was inevitable after Davis’s hit by pitch in the seventh inning. The Mets were hit three times on Tuesday night, including Pete Alonso getting hit in the head for the second time this season. Then Starling Marte was hit with the bases loaded.

At some point, there needs to be a message sent.

Off the field, the Mets and Cardinals brawled with their words. Prior to Wednesday’s game start, Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas stated “it’s not the balls fault. Take some responsibility for your actions.”

Showalter seemed adamant that the Mets don’t retaliate by hitting opposing players with pitches.

“There’s a lot of emotion flying around,” Showalter said. “Stop. Think this through. There’s a lot of ways to show your toughness other than reciprocating and hitting somebody else in the head. Then all of a sudden somebody’s career is over and somebody’s laying there with blood coming out of their ears. How do you really feel? Was it worth it? No, it was kind of stupid. But there’s a lot of frustration.”

The Mets didn’t retaliate by hitting Arenado. The pitch ran high. Arenado wished the ball wasn’t thrown there but does not blame Lopez for the location.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol took a different approach.

“I didn’t love it,” Marmol said.

“When you come up top like that and jeopardize someone’s career and life then I take exception to that,” Marmol said. “I don’t think anyone in the big leagues appreciates getting thrown up top. Nolan has every right to react the way he did”

Marmol also defended his team’s actions during the scrum. Including his first base coach Stubby Clapp tackling Alonso from behind and throwing him to the ground.

“I don’t see an issue with it at all,” Marmol said.

The player who was tackled did see an issue with it.

“I thought that was kind of cheap,” Alonso said. “If you want to hold me back if you want to restrain me go at me like a man.”

Marmol claimed Clapp was just trying to protect his players. Alonso claimed the same. Clapp was ejected along with Arenado for their roles.

“I’m a big, strong guy,” Alonso said. “If I wanted to put someone in the hospital, I easily could, but I was just out there trying to protect my guys.”

The Mets complained about the condition of the baseballs provided by the league after Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over the Cardinals. Chris Bassitt said it’s harder to control your pitches because of the way the ball is.

New York was hit three times that game. They have been in contact with the league office about the baseballs.

The Mets now have an off day Thursday before a weekend series with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets and Cardinals will reconvene in just a few weeks with a four-game series taking place from May 16-19 at Citi Field.

“Every one of us has each other’s backs. I can’t imagine going into battle with anybody else. I have some unbelievable teammates, some unbelievable staff. We don’t take this stuff lightly, getting hit in the head,” Alonso said.