Tempers flared and the benches cleared in the sixth inning of Monday night’s game between the Rangers and Astros. First, the back story.
Rangers starter Andrew Cashner hit Astros second baseman Jose Altuve with a 92.5 MPH first-pitch fastball with two outs and none on in the bottom of the first inning. Cashner would also hit first baseman Yulieski Gurriel leading off the top of the second with a 1-0, 90 MPH fastball.
In the top of the fourth inning, Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli hit a solo home run to center field with one out in the fourth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie. In the sixth, Napoli came to the plate again and Astros starter Lance McCullers threw a fastball behind him, which Napoli didn’t think was a nice idea. Both benches emptied but order was quickly restored. McCullers finished off the at-bat by striking out Napoli and appeared “fired up,” as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart tells it.
It’s possible Cashner was trying to intentionally hit the Astros’ batters, but he entered Monday’s start having issued 13 unintentional walks (though no hit batsmen) in 15 1/3 innings. He doesn’t exactly have impeccable control.
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