Tigers star Miguel Cabrera and Yankees backup catcher Austin Romine came to punches at home plate on Thursday. Both benches cleared.
Benches clear, punches thrown in Yankees-Tigers game with Miguel Cabrera and Austin Romine at the center of it. https://t.co/g32ygLF1cz pic.twitter.com/QMsJ5fEDQO
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2017
In the fifth inning, Tigers starter Michael Fulmer hit Gary Sanchez, who has homered in each of the three games this series. It was almost certainly unintentional, and everyone appeared to go on with their days.
Michael Fulmer hitting Gary Sanchez with a pitch in the 5th inning. Which started the whole thing.
— Ron W (@FIPmyWHIP) August 24, 2017
Clearly not intentional. pic.twitter.com/6dwkMKJUhL
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle threw a pitch behind Miguel Cabrera. Home plate umpire Carlos Torres ejected Kahnle. This brought Joe Girardi out of the dugout, rather unpleased. He, too, was ejected.
Aroldis Chapman relieved Kahnle, when Romine — brother of Tiger utilityman Andrew Romine — and Cabrera jawed a bit at home plate. Whatever Romine said was not what Cabrera wanted to hear at the moment. That led to push. Push led to shove. Shove led to, well, this:
I gif'd it because that's how I give back to my community pic.twitter.com/Ur1r97Tmma
— Kellie Rowe (@kellierowe) August 24, 2017
Sanchez got in a couple of cheat shots during the original brawl as well:
Sanchez is gonna get the biggest suspension, look at this cheap shot pic.twitter.com/lqvSiQndZF
— #Sapnu puas (@NJD107) August 24, 2017
This happened, too:
Verlander flipped off Victor Martinez in dugout for standing with Sanchez as Castellanos told of cheap shot. V-Mart then had to be held back
— Josh Mansour (@joshmansour) August 24, 2017
Cabrera and Romine were both ejected, and the Yankees lost their DH when Sanchez had to move to catcher.
Things escalated again in the bottom of the seventh when Dellin Betances hit James McCann with a pitch in the helmet:
More Big time trouble.. Betances nails MCCann in the head..getting ugly pic.twitter.com/22v3uppuah
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) August 24, 2017
The benches cleared again and Betances was ejected.
The dugouts emptied a third time in the eighth inning when Alex Wilson plunked Todd Frazier.
When your opponent keeps hitting the triangle button to fight and you decide to do the same... pic.twitter.com/pLDZj5Znfq
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 24, 2017
Wilson and Ausmus were both ejected, bringing the numbers of ejections between the two teams to eight.