Things got a bit chippy between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Sunday.
In the second inning, Rays pitcher Shawn Armstrong threw a 3-0 pitch up under Josh Donaldson’s chin, sparking a strong reaction from the Yankees third baseman.
Donaldson began jawing at Armstrong and started motioning toward the mound, prompting the benches and bullpens to empty to de-escalate the situation.
It took a few minutes but things eventually cooled down without any ejections or punches being thrown. Both teams were warned, however.
It was not the first time this series that Donaldson and the Rays had some words for each other. During Friday’s game, a 9-0 Yankees loss, Donaldson was chirping at Rays starter Jeffrey Springs from the dugout.
While Donaldson may have ruffled some feathers on the Rays, the up-and-in pitch came on a 3-0 count in an inning where Donaldson was the leadoff hitter.
With the Rays already trailing 1-0, courtesy of Aaron Judge’s 53rd home run of the season, it seems unlikely that Armstrong would want to put Donaldson on to lead off the inning.
Nonetheless, it made for interesting theater as the Yankees try and avoid blowing a 15.5 game AL East lead, which the Rays had cut down to four entering Sunday’s game.
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