Keone Kela did not hide his reason for throwing up and in on Derek Dietrich in Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Pirates-Cincinnati Reds game that set the stage for a big ninth-inning fight.
Kela, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, essentially admitted after the game that he threw high on Dietrich because it was “overdue” and he had to “protect” his teammates.
Here’s a look at his pitch that got people fired up:
Joey Votto had words for Kela in defense of Dietrich, who struck out in the at-bat. The two teams were warned.
David Bell was later ejected in the eighth for defending Yasiel Puig after a strike call the outfielder didn’t like. Then in the ninth, things really picked up. Jared Hughes was ejected for hitting Starling Marte with a pitch begin the inning. Then a batter after giving up a three-run home run, Amir Garrett charged toward the Pirates dugout and fought the whole team.
Dietrich was at the center of a fight between the teams on April 7. He pimped a home run in that game, which led Chris Archer to throw at him.
Dietrich defended himself later, taking a shot at Kela for a recent suspension.
The beef between these clubs does not look likely to pass any time soon.
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