Pedro Martinez has one problem with Joe Kelly’s beaning of Tyler Austin Wednesday. The Hall of Fame hurler thinks it should’ve happened sooner.
“The only thing I would had done different than Joe Kelly tonight, is I would’ve hit Tyler Austin at his previous at bat. Other than that, Kelly executed perfectly,” Martinez tweeted.
That’s quite the endorsement. Martinez, of course, is no stranger to igniting fracases.
Benches cleared for the first time Wednesday when Austin slid into second base with his spikes up in an apparent attempt to breakup the double play. Brock Holt, who was playing shortstop, took exception to the play.
Yankees' Tyler Austin and Red Sox's Brock Holt exchange words leading team benches to clear https://t.co/u14xq9Ryay
— Douglas Pucci (@SonOfTheBronx)
April 12, 2018 While Austin’s slide wasn’t the dirtiest action that’s ever occurred on a baseball diamond, moving in with your spikes up is unnecessary. Early in the season, Kelly apparently made the calculation that siding with his teammate was worth more than the suspension and/or fine he will receive from MLB.
And thank goodness for the fight. The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is back. Baseball season just got a lot more enjoyable.
Huge ups to Joe Kelly for the way he handled this entire situation. Defended his guy Brock Holt — who fell victim to a late, spikes-up slide by Tyler Austin earlier in the game — with a pitch right in Austin’s ribs. pic.twitter.com/c94lnVtBIl
— Sam Leweck (@samleweck)
April 12, 2018
