After three HBPs in Tuesday's win, which preceded criticism of the makeup of this year's baseballs, calls to the league office, and more frustration, yet another Mets player was plunked on Wednesday.
With a runner on in the eighth and the Cardinals leading 10-5, J.D. Davis fell behind 0-2, fought back to a 3-2 count, then took a Genesis Cabrera pitch off the ankle, the 19th hit by pitch for the Mets this year, eight more than the next team on the undesirable leaderboard.
Davis was in obvious pain, while Buck Showalter vented some frustration to the home plate umpire, and had to come out of the game.
Showalter told reporters before the game that he didn't want to see his team retaliate and risk injury to another player, but on the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth, Yoan Lopez fired a fastball up and in to St. Louis star third baseman Nolan Arenado, and the benches cleared. Arenado was ejected, but nobody on the Mets was tossed.
It's the second time this year that the Mets have been involved in a benches-clearing incident, and far from the first time they've endured an injury scare as a result of a hit by pitch. Pete Alonso was hit in the head on Tuesday night, was hit in the face earlier this season, and Francisco Lindor was hit in the face as well.