Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton and Mets third baseman Todd Frazier had to be separated in between innings yesterday in New York, MASN’s Dan Kolko reported. Nothing happened other than an exchange of words, but it continued a years-long beef between the two players.
Here's the exchange between Adam Eaton and Todd Frazier mentioned by @masnKolko, courtesy of the MASN broadcast: pic.twitter.com/0Orc8eKB8n
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) May 21, 2019
Julia Karron of NBC Sports Washington chronicled the Eaton-Frazier history. Things began in 2016 when Eaton tried to step up as the leader of a rebuilding White Sox team, but Frazier -- whose locker was next to Eaton’s -- wasn’t buying it. The two came to blows in the clubhouse and had to be separated.
In 2018, Eaton slid hard into second baseman Phillip Evans, injuring Evans in the process. The Mets were upset that their player was injured and felt Eaton had violated the “Chase Utley rule.” Later that month, the Mets exacted revenge as Zack Wheeler threw at Eaton. He missed and Eaton ended up walking. As Eaton made his way to first base, Frazier yelled some choice words across the diamond. After the game, Eaton said of Frazier, “When he usually talks or chips, usually he says it just loud enough that you can hear him but you can’t understand him. So I’ll just leave it at that.” Eaton was hit in the hip by a Wheeler pitch later in the game. MLB found Eaton’s slide to be legal.
After Monday’s game, Eaton said of Frazier (via NBC Sports Washington), “He must really like me cause he wants to get my attention seems like every time we come here.”
Meanwhile, Frazier said to the media (via Yahoo’s Matt Ehalt), “You ask guys when I played for the White Sox in 2016, ask all 23 of those guys, they know what happened, for (Eaton) to even talk after that, I don’t know how you talk after that.” Frazier continued, “Men usually settle it on the field, they don’t need to talk about it. He started it, coming at me with that kind of, ‘I’m a man, I got a mortgage to pay, two kids.’ Pay off your mortgage, I don’t know what to tell you.” He added, “Immaturity. If you know Adam, like every team he’s been on, you hear what people say, you understand it. I was part of it for a year and a half.”
Can we just get these guys a reality TV show already?