Tempers flared on the field during a confusing sequence in Monday night's Mets-Yankees game in the Bronx.
The strange incident unfolded in the bottom of the first, when the Yankees tried to take advantage of the Mets' attempt to appeal a run-scoring sacrifice fly for the Bombers.
Yankees slugger Anthony Rizzo took off from first base in an attempt to disrupt the potential appeal at third base, where Andrew Benintendi had tagged up and scored on a sac fly to right by DJ LeMahieu. Rizzo reached third when Mets starter Max Scherzer stepped off the rubber and tried to throw him out at second, with his errant throw instead sailing into center field.
But the Mets got a reprieve on the bizarre mishap when the umpires ruled time had never been called back in after LeMahieu's sac fly, thereby nullifying Rizzo's seemingly heads-up play. The appeal failed anyway, with Benintendi being ruled safe at third. Replays appeared to show he had indeed waited for LeMahieu's flyout to be caught before he left the bag.
But several Mets players were demonstrative in their objections to Rizzo's jaunt around the bases. Rizzo didn't seem to appreciate their zealousness, specifically when appeared to shout a choice four-letter expletive at shortstop Francisco Lindor:
Predictably, fan reaction to the play on social media fell mostly along rooting allegiances. Yankees fans loved Rizzo's passion and thought the umpires bailed out the Mets, while Mets fans called Rizzo a fake tough guy and claimed he doesn't know the rules.
The Yankees and their fans had the last laugh in the game, though, with the Bronx Bombers taking the first game of the two-game set by the score of 4-2.
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