Rays’ Randy Arozarena Was Infuriated After Getting Hit By Pitch vs. Yankees

Teammates and coaches needed to hold Arozarena back after he was plunked by an inside fastball.
Rays’ Randy Arozarena Was Infuriated After Getting Hit By Pitch vs. Yankees
Rays’ Randy Arozarena Was Infuriated After Getting Hit By Pitch vs. Yankees /

Benches cleared during the Yankees-Rays clash on Sunday after Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch from Albert Abreu in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

Arozarena took exception to the inside fastball from Abreu, nearly slamming his bat in frustration before turning to face the mound and attempt to approach the pitcher. He was held back by home plate umpire Adam Beck, but the outfielder continued to jaw at Abreu, who eventually began chirping back. 

Both teams’ benches then cleared, at which point Arozarena was restrained by members of Tampa Bay's coaching staff and some of his Rays teammates. 

The 28-year-old seemed to believe that Abreu had plunked him on purpose, as he was the fifth member of his team to be hit by a pitch during Sunday’s game.

With New York trailing by two runs late into the game, it seems unlikely that the team would intentionally put Arozarena on first base. Additionally, Abreu reacted as if the pitch had gotten away from him.

Ultimately, the incident was solved when managers Aaron Boone and Kevin Cash met in the middle of a sea of players in order to verbally agree to some form of peace treaty. After things deescalated, Arozarena reluctantly took his base and play resumed. 

Arozarena ended up scoring two at-bats later, via an RBI double from Brandon Lowe. The Rays would hold on to win, 7-4.


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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.