Managers exchange heated words as Mariners blow out Rangers
The Major League Baseball season isn’t even a week old and already things are getting heated between American League West Division foes Texas and Seattle. So much for the laid-back days of spring.
Seattle manager Scott Servais earned his first major league victory as a manager Tuesday night when the Mariners beat the Rangers 10-2, but Servais won’t remember it just because of the win.
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The Mariners unloaded on Texas reliever Tom Wilhelmsen in the eighth inning with two home runs, two doubles and five earned runs. With no outs, Wilhelmsen eventually hit catcher Chris Iannetta with a pitch in the back of the leg and was ejected from the game, which led to Servais and Texas manager Jeff Banister coming out of their dugouts and screaming not-so-friendly words and pointing at each other.
Wilhelmsen spent the past five years pitching for Seattle and obviously has relationships with the players there. Of course, Iannetta is in his first year with the Mariners. So maybe he was the guy Wilhelmsen felt comfortable hitting, assuming he did so intentionally as the home plate umpire seemed to believe.
However, it was the fifth hit batsman between the two teams in the first two games of the season. So tempers were already running short by the time this happened.
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Did we mention it was only the second game of the season and these teams have to play each other 17 more times this season, including the rubber match of the series Wednesday? Should be interesting to see if everyone involved can put Tuesday’s hard feeling behind them or if this is going to be something we’re watching all season each time these clubs tangle.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
