Benches Clear in Subway Series Finale After Stanton, Lindor Exchange Words

The Yankees and Mets had their benches clear at Citi Field in the finale of the Subway series after an altercation between Francisco Lindor and Giancarlo Stanton

Benches cleared in Sunday's finale of the Subway Series as slugger Giancarlo Stanton exchanged words with shortstop Francisco Lindor in the middle of a home run trot.

Rounding second base, after demolishing a game-tying two-run shot deep into the left-field bleachers, Stanton shuffled facing Lindor, nearly stopping to talk rather than continuing to jog toward third base.

As the two went back and forth, players from both dugouts quickly started flooding onto the field, congregating around the third-base bag. 

The background with the beef, as it was explained by ESPN's Buster Olney on the live broadcast, is that members of the Mets believe the Yankees had created a system of whistles on Saturday night to tell hitters what pitch was coming. 

From the Mets side, per Olney, it's believed that right-hander Taijuan Walker was tipping his pitches, allowing the Yankees to correctly predict which pitches were coming and relay that information to the batter. 

The background on the bench-clearing incident: Last night, the Mets thought the Yankees had found pitch-tipping in Taijuan Walker and signaled by whistling to the hitter. That's what Lindor seemingly referenced in his home run trot. Stanton later responded, benches cleared.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) September 13, 2021

So, as Lindor rounded second base earlier in the game after crushing his second home run of the night, he made what appeared to be a whistle motion with his right hand. The Mets star also called out to those on the field and toward the Yankees' dugout on the third-base line. 

Lindor had the last laugh, though, going yard for a third time and giving the Mets the lead in the bottom of the eighth, a classic moment in this historic crosstown rivalry.

The Mets held on in the ninth to secure the 7-6 victory. And of course, the final out was a pop fly off the bat of Stanton's bat, landing in Lindor's glove. 

This three-game set at Citi Field has been both emotional and memorable. Not only did both teams honor the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, on Saturday, there have been fireworks between the lines. 

Saturday night's game was a back-and-forth affair featuring two home runs from Aaron Judge and a go-ahead run scored for the Yankees in the eighth. 

It makes sense that tensions are high when bringing postseason implications into the equation as well. Both teams are fighting for their lives with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, seeking to make up ground and stick in the playoff picture before the calendar flips to October.

MORE:

• Aaron Judge Leaves Game Early With Dizziness 
• Yankees Call Up Prospect Clarke Schmidt to Start Against Mets on Sunday Night Baseball
• Aaron Judge Halts Yankees' Losing Streak With Signature Performance

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