Dodgers Rally To Beat First Place Diamondbacks 5-3 In Heated Affair
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Ian Kennedy hit Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke with pitches, sparking a heated brawl that involved players and coaches and resulted in five ejections in a game in which the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 Tuesday night.
Kennedy, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson and coach Turner Ward, along with Puig and Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire were ejected in the seventh inning after the prolonged scuffle that nearly spilled into the stands.
In the sixth, Greinke hit Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero in the back and both teams came charging onto the field, but the scrum broke up quickly with no punches thrown.
That was payback for Kennedy hitting Puig -- the ball deflected off Puig's shoulder clipped his nose.
Kennedy then hit Greinke in the upper left shoulder -- the ball then deflected off his helmet -- with one out in the seventh and the game tied 2-all. It was the 41st batter Kennedy has hit since the start of 2010.
Kennedy immediately was tossed and calmly walked toward the Diamondbacks dugout before players poured onto the field and relievers ran in from the bullpens.
Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario began throwing punches and Puig rushed into the melee. Ward got slammed against a railing and was put in a headlock by Dodgers left fielder Skip Schumaker, who appeared to be trying to break up the fight as both teams kept pushing closer to the stands.
McGwire had Gibson's jersey and windbreaker with both hands and was screaming at him.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had to be restrained as he tried to get at Gibson, then they exchanged words briefly. McGwire and third base coach Matt Williams grabbed each other's shirts in a tense standoff and shouted at each other.
Montero, still in full catching gear, ended up on the ground next to Ward.
When play resumed, Greinke took his spot at first base and, made a hard slide into second base when Schumaker, the next batter, grounded into a fielder's choice.
Greinke had spent more than a month on the disabled list after breaking his collarbone in a brawl with Carlos Quentin, when he hit the Padres outfielder with a pitch on April 11.
Tim Federowicz hit a go-ahead three-run double in the eighth inning after David Hernandez (3-2) walked the bases loaded.
After Puig got hit, Andre Ethier followed with a two-run homer off Kennedy that tied the game 2-all.
Willie Bloomquist's RBI single in the eighth gave Arizona a 3-2 lead.
Matt Guerrier (2-2) got the win and Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth to earn his third save.
CBS2/KCAL9's Jim Hill reported that the mood in the Dodger dugout after the game was festive.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
