Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals got chippy with one another on Friday night
By Hayden Kane
There’s nothing like a playoff race to get players fired up and create some tension on the field. That is especially true when hothead players like A.J. Pierzynski and Francisco Rodriguez are involved.
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That was the case at the conclusion of the Milwaukee Brewers’ 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night. It was a key victory for the Brewers as they snapped a nine-game losing streak. Rodriguez recorded the final out of this one against the St. Louis catcher; as he and his teammates celebrated, Pierzynski brushed up against him, or at least jogged by too close for Rodriguez’s liking.
Rodriguez reacted and that sparked a heated exchange on the field between the two teams. It was a bizarre scene considering the fact that the game was over. Adam McCalvy and Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com have the details:
"Nothing more than words were exchanged, and the Brewers resumed celebrating the end of a nine-game losing streak.“Apparently, when A.J. was jogging off, he brushed against Rodriguez,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “[Rodriguez] didn’t like it. There was nothing said. He didn’t think he touched him, but he got closer than what [Rodriguez] wanted. So he just turned around and asked our first-base coach what was that all about? No one even knew what was going on.”"
On the Brewers’ side of things, manager Ron Roenicke said the incident was “no big deal.”
Because nothing really came of it, both teams can just move on with their lives. That’s the theory, at least. But knowing the long memories that baseball players tend to have, it will be worth monitoring what happens the next time Pierzynski is up to bat against the Brewers.
Be sure to stay tuned to FanSided for all of the latest MLB news, grumblings, rumors, and analysis as the 2014 season heads towards the playoff stretch.