BALTIMORE – Brandon Hyde, the former minor-league catcher turned manager, ran toward the New York Yankees dugout, dug in his heels for pressure and pushed his legs, but was thwarted by a backup catcher who started the day celebrating his 25th birthday and ended it by putting out fireworks, not setting them off.
“I thought it was a cool birthday,” Austin Wells would say later Friday night, as the chaos at the end of the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles was safely behind him.
“I tried to limit the damage.”
That’s a fitting sentiment for both the fight that forced the players to clear the benches, ending the ninth inning in a sideways turnaround, and for a Yankees team that strikes fear into its fans.
They had lost or tied their last eight series dating back to mid-June when they came to Camden Yards looking to cut Baltimore’s two-game lead in the American League East before the teams leave for the All-Star break on Sunday.
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On Friday, they halved that deficit, inadvertently throwing kerosene into what threatens to become an epic rivalry on the field and a fierce one off it.
“The intensity level has stayed pretty much the same all year,” said Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, Friday’s winning pitcher.
“So I expect it to remain consistent.”
The fire started a month ago in the Bronx, when Yankees superstar Aaron Judge was hit in the hand by a pitch but managed to avoid serious injury, on a night when second baseman Gleyber Torres also wore one.
Yankees starter Nestor Cortes responded by hitting the tower and charging Orioles All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson; a day later, reliever Victor Gonzalez tapped Henderson on the shoulder.
That week, the high road was taken in the Bronx, and the teams met in Baltimore with the Orioles holding a 5-2 lead in the season series. It looked to all the world as if the Yankees would claim the opener without any trouble, with Cole pitching his best game after recovering from an elbow injury and Judge hitting his 33rd home run, it was business as usual.
And then the rain came in time for the ninth inning, soaking a steamy, 81-degree night. Yankees closer Clay Holmes struck out Jordan Westburg for the first out of the inning, but when he tried to throw a front-door sinker to left-hander Heston Kjerstad, he pulled him badly.
The 97 mph pitch flew high and in, and rookie Kjerstad couldn’t move, ducking just enough for the ball to hit the bottom of his helmet. He lay in the batter’s box for a few moments, got up, was examined by coach Brian Ebel and trudged to first before heading to the dugout; he will be in concussion protocol Saturday.
Holmes wanted to express his feelings that there was no foul play. Hyde did not seem receptive to such remarks.
Someone – coach, player, or someone else – said something from the Yankees dugout and Hyde, his rabbit ears probably pricked at the comment, turned and walked quickly toward the Yankees dugout.
“I’m just walking back and I’m hearing stuff from their dugout, so I just reacted the way I did,” Hyde said. “I saw them pointing at me and the whole thing, so I just reacted the way I did.”
And there was a touch of chaos in the battle for the pennant.
Hyde didn’t get much further than the left-handed batting box when Wells — who was in the game only because Jose Trevino had injured his quadriceps — entered the fray.
A mosh pit formed around them, the bullpens came in and words were exchanged – “You have to be there (to know),” Judge said with a grin.
“Anytime a player gets hit in the head, emotions run high,” said Orioles outfielder Austin Hays, who replaced Kjerstad on the bases. “I don’t think Clay was trying to hit Heston in the head at that point. He was probably just trying to get the ball in, a front-door sinker, and he missed.
“That ball hit Heston so well. I really hope he’s OK. We’ll be praying tonight. Anytime you see players getting hit on the hands and head, it’s dangerous and it can cause guys to miss games.
“Emotions are always higher when you see a man getting hit from above. I think you saw that there.”
There was little disagreement about this on the other side.
“It was totally understandable, I guess,” Cole said. “Man, it’s so wet out there tonight. Everybody knows it was tough to hold the baseball tonight. The guy got hit in the head.
“So it’s understandable that Brandon got angry. And he defends his players.”
Judge said: “He’s their manager. He’s been a great manager for them for a number of years. He’s always got his lads’ backs, so I think he’ll stand up for his team in a situation like that.
“I have a lot of respect for him and what he does. So I think if there is a moment to stand up…”
“I thought he looked like our ace”
The series resumes Saturday, but Hyde almost certainly won’t be there. A suspension from Major League Baseball is likely, and managers can’t appeal such a punishment.
When bad blood boils, coach Fredi Gonzalez will be in charge. But the teams’ larger goals may outweigh overt displays of machismo or vigilante justice.
“I don’t think so. We play too much to get caught up in that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to play well, we’ve got to win games.
“The same goes for them. Hopefully we come and play baseball tomorrow.”
They’ll be hard-pressed to match Friday’s artistry. Cole, the reigning Cy Young Award winner making his fifth start of the season, confirmed that the past month has truly been his personal spring training, rebuilding his arm strength after a first-half elbow injury sidelined him.
He saw the sixth inning and the 100-pitch mark for the first time this season, battling back from a 3-0 count to freeze Henderson on a curveball to strand the tying run on the bases in the third to start a run of 11 consecutive batters retired.
He raised his fastball velocity to 99 mph and closed his night with a deft comebacker, leaving the bullpen with just nine outs.
“I thought he looked like our ace,” Boone said. “He had an edge, but he had fun with it. There was a joy in the way he pitched.
“He’s one of the best pitchers of his generation. He’s an ace and he loves the challenge, he loves the competition. It was fun to watch him compete at that moment.”
And boy, did the Yankees need it.
Their rotation was excellent through the first month of the season, then rookie Luis Gil took over in a dominant May, winning AL pitcher of the month honors. But just as Cole returned, they imploded.
Gil? He has a 7.00 ERA in his last six starts, after a 0.60 mark in his previous six. Carlos Rodon has a 10.57 ERA in his last five starts, after a 14-start run with a 2.93 mark. Not coincidentally, the Yankees were 11-3 during his good spell, 0-5 during his bad spell.
Boiling point
And yet the Orioles are in bad shape now, too. They were blown out at home this week for the first time in three years, by the midfield Chicago Cubs, of all places. On Friday, they gave the ball to Cade Povich, a left-handed pitcher making his seventh major league start.
“I think we’ll find out in the first inning. His first innings were a little bumpy,” Hyde said before the game. “He struggled with his command.”
You might say. Povich walked five batters in his 5⅓-inning outing, including giving up Judge’s huge home run over the big wall in left. The Orioles learned; Judge hit an 0-2 curveball over the fence, but saw just one strike in his four other plate appearances, all of which ended in walks.
Baltimore’s vaunted offense is no better. The Orioles are hitting .182 (13 for 82) with runners in scoring position in 10 games this month, and have been unable to extend their lead over the Yankees to more than three games, even as New York has lost seven of nine.
Now it comes down to one game. Someone will have at least a one-game lead at halftime, and both teams are almost assured of a playoff spot.
Who will be the East champ will not be clear for almost three months. The next step will come on Saturday, probably in a more serene setting.
“I know we’ve got a fair few of their guys getting hit by pitches. They’ve got us,” Judge said.
“It was a bit boiling there.”