The benches cleared and Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was ejected in the bottom of the ninth inning of Baltimore’s 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Friday night.
Hyde took exception to some comments from the visitor’s dugout in the moments after Yankees closer Clay Holmes hit Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad in the side of the helmet with a pitch, prompting both dugouts and bullpens to engage in a brief shoving match near home plate.
Kjerstad, batting with the Orioles down to their final two outs and trailing by three, hit the dirt after an errant pitch by Holmes knocked his helmet off. He stayed down briefly before getting up under his own power and trying to walk down to first base. However, he never made it to the bag, leaving the game with head trainer Brian Ebel.
Hyde started to walk off with Kjerstad and Ebel but stopped to grab Kjerstad’s helmet off the ground. He then heard something from the Yankees’ dugout he didn’t like and started yelling and pointing over at their bench before tossing Kjerstad’s helmet aside. New York catcher Austin Wells attempted to hold him back, but the teams met on the grass between the Yankees’ dugout and the third base line as pitchers streamed in from the bullpen.
“It’s an emotional time at that time,” Hyde said after the game. “My guy just got hit right in the ear. I’m upset, and then I see their dugout and they’re waving at me and yelling at me, so I just didn’t appreciate it at the time.”
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The ball bounces off Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad after he was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad is accessed after he was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Yankees catcher Austin Wells looks toward Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad who lays on the ground after he was hit in the head in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Yankees catcher Austin Wells watches Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad fall to the ground after he was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad is checked after he was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. Kjerstad left the game. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad is checked after he was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. Kjerstad left the game. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
The benches of the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees clear after Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the ninth inning by New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich throws against the New York Yankees at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins catches a fly ball in the 8th. The Baltimore Orioles host New York Yankees at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle beats the throw to DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees, at first in the ninth. The Orioles loose 4-1 at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander holds Yankees right fielder Juan Soto to a single in the first inning at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge rounds second after hitting a home run in the third against the Baltimore Orioles at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is tagged out by Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson trying to steal second in the third inning. Baltimore Orioles host New York Yankees at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander questions the home plate umpire after being called out on strikes in the third inning. The Orioles host the New York Yankees at Orioles Park at Camden Yards. (Kim Hairston/Staff)
Hyde was the only person ejected from the game, ceding command of the Orioles’ dugout to bench coach Fredi González, who was also in the middle of the scuffle exchanging words with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and a coach. González appeared to be screaming at Yankees assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes, who was on the top step of the visitor’s dugout yelling when Hyde first stormed over.
It was the second time this season Hyde has been ejected and the 15th time in his career.
“I understand him coming out,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Being hot and one of your guys gets hit like that, it’s scary, you know? Looked like some things were directed at Clay. I’m not going to get too much into it other than say I’m glad it didn’t get too carried away.”
“I didn’t see Clay chirping, but I know Hyde was chirping,” Wells added.
Kjerstad, who is hitting .378 with three home runs since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on June 24, underwent testing after the game, according to Hyde, who is “hoping he’s OK.” The Orioles declined to make Kjerstad available to the media.
“I was just trying to tell Heston that I wasn’t trying to do it,” Holmes said. “Hope he’s alright. Then I saw Hyde kind of mouthing some stuff. I think people didn’t like that and things got heated. It’s just part of baseball.”
This wasn’t the first time the tensions have risen between the Orioles and Yankees this season.
Orioles starter Albert Suárez hit Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge on the left hand with an inside pitch during their last series June 18, forcing him to leave the game. Judge and fellow outfielders Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo commented publicly on the Orioles throwing inside too often.
“I think there was just some chirping back and forth,” Judge said Friday. “I know we’ve gotten quite a few of their guys were hit by pitches. They’ve gotten us. Kind of boiled over there.”
The Orioles and Yankees play two more games this weekend in both teams’ final series before the All-Star break. With New York’s win in the opener, the Orioles’ lead in the American League East is down to one game.
“Any time you see players get hit on the hands, in the head, it’s dangerous, and you know guys can miss games for that, so the emotions are always higher when you see a guy get hit up top,” said Orioles outfielder Austin Hays, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Kjerstad. “So yeah, I just think that’s what you saw there.”
Baltimore Sun reporters Jacob Calvin Meyer and Taylor Lyons contributed to this story, which might be updated.
