Dugout-Clearing Brawl Overshadows End Of Pirates' Losing Streak
CINCINNATI (AP/KDKA) - Reds reliever Amir Garrett rushed the Pirates' dugout and threw punches in the ninth inning, starting a brawl prolonged by Cincinnati outfielder Yasiel Puig, and Pittsburgh ended its longest losing streak in eight years with a rough-and-tumble 11-4 victory Tuesday night.
Reds manager David Bell faces a suspension after running onto the field to join the fracas after being ejected an inning earlier. He was put in a headlock by Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein, got himself out, and shouted at Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. In all, five Reds were ejected.
The latest dust-up in the rivalry was sparked when Pittsburgh's Keone Kela threw up-and-in to Derek Dietrich in the seventh. After the inning, first baseman Joey Votto walked toward the Pirates dugout and exchanged words with Kela, but plate umpire Larry Vanover got in front of Votto. In April, Dietrich admired one of his homers at PNC Park, leading to a benches-clearing clash.
The ejections started in the eighth, when Bell was tossed for arguing a strike call with Puig at bat. Reds reliever Jared Hughes was ejected in the ninth for hitting Starling Marte with his first pitch.
The Reds' and Pirates' benches have cleared. pic.twitter.com/za8hYc0zuX
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) July 31, 2019
Garrett came on to pitch, exchanged words with the Pirates, sprinted toward the dugout and threw a couple punches to spark the brawl. Garrett was dragged to the ground by roughly half the Pirates team before backup arrived. Bell was among the first Reds to join the fray and had to be separated from Hurdle. He later helped restrain Puig, who reignited the melee with more shouting and shoving.
Puig was given a warm ovation from Reds fans as he left the field, possibly for the final time before Wednesday's trade deadline. He was also at the center of the memorable fight that followed Dietrich's homer in April, taking on nearly the entire Pirates team at one point - a striking image with Pittsburgh sporting bright yellow throwback uniforms.
The Pirates ended a nine-game losing streak behind trade candidate Corey Dickerson, who had another big game at Great American Ball Park. He drove in a career-high five runs with a pair of homers and a single.
In 14 career games at Great American, Dickerson is batting .431 with nine homers and 18 RBIs. He's had three four-hit games and three multi-homer games.
Josh Bell doubled home a pair of runs in the first inning, giving him an NL-leading 88 RBIs. Dickerson singled home two more in the third, and he connected on a two-run shot off Lucas Sims for a 7-2 lead. He added his fourth homer of the season off Robert Stephenson.
Joe Musgrove (8-9) set a career high with his eighth win. He went six innings and gave up solo homers by Votto and Jose Iglesias , who had a grand slam in the Reds' series-opening win.
Tanner Roark (6-7), who had a rough time Tuesday. He lasted only 3 1/3 innings - his shortest start of the season - and gave up five runs.
SUSPENDED
The Pirates suspended bullpen coach Euclides Rojas for two games for an undisclosed contract violation. Rojas started serving the penalty Tuesday. The club had no further comment.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: Dickerson was back in left field after missing three games with a sore groin.
Reds: Reliever David Hernandez will be activated before the final game of the series on Wednesday. He's been on the injured list with shoulder fatigue.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Dario Agrazal (2-1) makes his seventh start since his major league debut June 15. He gave up a career-high three homers in a 6-3 loss to the Mets on Friday.
Reds: Luis Castillo (9-4) is coming off his worst start of an All-Star season. He gave up a career-high six runs in five innings of a 12-2 loss to the Rockies on Friday.
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