Los Angeles Dodgers: Reaction & Step by Step Breakdown of the Brawl
By Matt Miller
June 11, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers batting coach Mark McGwire (12) holds back Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams (9) as Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly (8) speaks with Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson (23) in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Months after the watershed moment of the Los Angeles Dodgers season, the Dodgers were back at it. It is of course referring to the bench clearing brawl Tuesday night, less than 2 months after the San Diego Padres Carlos Quentin charged the mound and broke Zack Greinke‘s collarbone. The Dodgers struggled without their highly paid starter, and he ended up in the thick of it before the game was done. Here’s a step by step break down of what happened.
In the bottom of the 6th inning Ian Kennedy threw at the head of Yasiel Puig, and delivered a glancing blow to his face as he tried to get our of the way. Here is the video
For a brief second, Ian Kennedy looked remorseful, like Duncan Keith did after slashing Jeff Carter in the face. It doesn’t much matter whether if he felt that way cause he knew hitting him in the face rather than the back would escalate things, regretted the punishment coming, or concerned about the health of Puig. This started it off. After a sizeable delay, like a boss, Puig got up and ran to first.
In the top of the next inning, Greinke retaliated like expected. He drilled Miguel Montero in the back. Considering Montero’s struggles at the plate, the Dodgers almost did him a favor. Whether you’re a fan of retribution or not, that should have been the end of it. Nope. The churlish bravado was just getting stared.
In the bottom half of the inning, the game still tied at 2, both pitchers still in the game,Kennedy threw right at the face of Zack Greinke.
Kennedy was tossed immediately. Greinke didn’t seem too bothered by it, or was wise enough not to break his collarbone again. Don Mattingly was very bothered by it. He virtually lead the charge out of the dugout straight to Montero’s masked face to tell him the weather tomorrow. Then Juan Uribe, Ronald Belisario, and JP Howell really jumped it up a notch. And it really got out of hand fast. After they skirted around a few Dbacks, Ronald Belisario lost his mind like he often loses a late inning lead–immediately.
Unnoticed in the fray was Clayton Kershaw, who was one of the first Dodgers in the mixer when the two sides first collide.
Pictured here screaming, he stood up for the Dodgers starter. Then Howell throws a few uppercuts, and pushes and bends Turner Ward over a railing. Who is Turner Ward? This guy.
The Dbacks coach is temporarily saved when Miguel Montero rips Howell off of the Dbacks coach. The brawl continued to escalate. The Dbacks were backed up against their dugout and protect it like it’s Sparta. They were backed up on the precipice of a 3-foot drop to sub-ground level. Enter stage left the initial victim, Yasiel Puig. He sneaks in and throws a downward swinging, open-hand, Donkey Kong slap in the middle of the fray. Puig is the blurry figure swinging his LiveStrong band down at #22 Eric Hinske.
Seconds later, in the top of the above frame, Don Mattingly gets physical with the Dbacks bench coach Alan Trammell. Mattingly body slams him to the ground, and only forgoes the ‘People’s Elbow’ from his WWE treatment of Trammell before getting up and charging the ump.
Mattingly will surely be suspended. As will the star of the next 5 minutes, Mark McGwire. Big Mac puffs out his chest, and I would to if I was the largest man on the field. After yelling at Dbacks manager Kirk Gibson he is held back by Kenley Jansen. He was then held back by Matt Williams, who won’t let go of Her-Mac-ules as he is again in Kirk Gibson’s face. This cycle of entering the fray, and being restrained continued, in honor of Yasiel Puig, approximately 66 times. Be scared Matt Williams.
Be very scared
Puig, always doing everything all out, took one last charge into the melee before he headed all out, out of the fray. He was the first player to actually leave the brawl. He began walking back to the Dodgers dugout on his own, and the ‘immature’ outfielder left a lasting impression on me with this maneuver.
Major League Baseball will suspend any Dodgers that aren’t currently on the DL already, and some who are. Lost in the fray is the Dodgers actually came back and won the game.
Here are the full video highlights of the brawl, complete with Vin Scully telling the story.