SEATTLE — Tensions always run high when the Mariners and Astros face off, but the latest feud between the American League West rivals came in the sixth half of the Astros’ 8-3 win Wednesday at T-Mobile Park. It started in the back of the inning. Astros reliever Hector Nellis is believed to have hit it. Homophobic slurs directed at Mariners star Julio Rodriguez in Spanish.
With Houston leading 4-3 and holding a half-game advantage in the AL wild-card standings, Nellis struck out Rodriguez on three pitches before the right-hander pointed at the reigning AL Rookie of the Year. I shouted. Winner while walking towards his direction.
Video replay showed Nellis using Spanish slurs during the exchange, which was later confirmed by Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who was in the on-deck circle at the time of the incident.
“I was angry when I heard that,” Suarez said. “I was pissed and I said to him, ‘Why did you do that?’ Why did you do that to us? If you want to enjoy the strikeouts, enjoy the strikeouts and go out of the dugout. You should just go.” Don’t do that, just walk after Julio and do that.” [stuff] He did it. For me, that’s not acceptable. That made me very angry. ”
Rodriguez was not present after the game, but the Mariners said through a spokesperson Wednesday that there was “no sense of animosity” between the two entering the game and that they were “shocked” by Nellis’ yelling at Rodriguez. “It was,” he said. Their relationship goes back many years, and they both trained in the offseason at the House of Athletes in Tampa, Florida. And both are represented by Ulises Cabrera of Octagon Baseball.
“It’s part of the game and the emotion,” Nellis said of the incident. “This situation today was not personal. [the] The team tries to play hard. ”
Neris, who once referred to Rodriguez as a “friend” in a postgame interview, said in follow-up questions: It wasn’t personal. ”
Suarez added: “I thought it was a joke from the beginning, because they had a really good relationship until today. And he started [saying] Bad words in Spanish.he started [saying] That’s not good for Spanish speakers. ”
When Astros first baseman Jose Abreu grabbed Neris and led him to the visiting dugout on the third-base line, Rodriguez yelled in retaliation while walking toward Neris, only to be stopped by home plate umpire Larry Vanover.
And by that time both benches had started clearing.
Until the dust settled, Nellis was the only player in the Houston dugout as most players and coaching staffs from both teams continued to argue on the field. He then returned to the playing field and began yelling at Rodriguez, who was being held back by multiple Mariners officials between the mound and the third base line.
Rodriguez was visibly upset by Nellis’ screams after the strikeout, and there were no obvious signs of disagreement during the three-pitch stretch.
After Seattle won 6-2 on Tuesday when Chas McCormick shouldered a 98.7 mph fastball from Andres Munoz, Houston manager Dusty Baker expressed his displeasure with what happened.
“There’s bad blood here,” Baker said. “It’s difficult to accuse someone or prove intent. Only the person who threw the ball knows the intent. If it was intentional, it would ruin a player’s career. Especially now, it’s going to ruin a player’s playoff career. I don’t know.”
This season, the Mariners have given up five hits to Astros batters, and the Astros have given up 10 hits to Mariners batters.
“I’m tired of my players getting hit,” Baker said. “When you don’t have to hit, guys get bolder. You know what I mean? In the National League, you can do something about guys who throw pitches…If you have a DH, guys… becomes bolder.”
Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Baker’s comments on Wednesday. They’re a team that’s been to the World Series multiple times, and they’re a team that we want to get through. If people want to call it bad blood, that’s fine. We want to beat them. It’s not good blood, it’s bad blood – whatever you want to call it. I respect them. ”
Shortly after Neris hit Ty France, Rodriguez hit the decisive home run off Neris in the ninth inning, leading Seattle to a 7-4 victory. During the argument, Rodriguez was also seen trying to stop Nellis, who is also from the Dominican Republic, in good faith. After the home run and a warning, Nellis was ejected for hitting Suarez with a 94.4 mph heater.
But that’s 2022, this is 2023, and Wednesday marked the third bench ejection situation between these teams. On May 7, play was stopped at T-Mobile Park after a disagreement between Astros catcher Martin Maldonado and Mariners second baseman Jose Caballero. Then, on August 19 in Houston, Caballero was hit by Astros All-Star Framber Valdez, leading to a scuffle in front of home plate.
Baker goes further back to the “bad blood” on July 26, 2021, when the Astros manager was ejected after Larry struck out J.P. Crawford in his first at-bat after a go-ahead grand slam, and then a relief pitcher He mentioned the time he was suspended along with fellow player Brooks Lally. Dylan Moore’s victory was perhaps the most decisive for the Mariners that season, erasing a seven-point deficit.
