Yankees Engage in Benches-Clearing Brawl vs Orioles

The Yankees earned a massive win on Friday, but that may be overshadowed by the bottom of the ninth inning.

Jul 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus (68) and Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde (18) exchange words during the ninth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees earned possibly their biggest win of the season on Friday, as they took down the Baltimore Orioles, 4-1.

But the real story of the game would come in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Yankees closer Clay Holmes entered the game amid steadily increasing rainfall, and faced rookie outfielder Heston Kjerstad with one out. He quickly got ahead in the count 0-2, putting the Bronx Bombers four strikes away from a win, but then missed badly with a 97 mph sinker - that hit Kjerstad in the helmet.

The Orioles' youngster would ultimately be replaced by Austin Hays on the bases, and Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde exploded with fury. The incensed skipper screamed and pointed at the Yankee dugout - before finally breaking into an angry charge. New York catcher Austin Wells was able to restrain Hyde, but both teams spilled out of their dugouts in a highly intense scene.

Things escalated QUICKLY pic.twitter.com/n96q2wCOim

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 13, 2024

Benches clear in Baltimore after Clay Holmes hits Heston Kjerstad in the head. pic.twitter.com/R4VDk2pnqC

— Nelson Dorsey (@TheBirdlandBeat) July 13, 2024

After Hyde was tossed by home plate umpire Will Little, Holmes got the next two outs to nail down New York's hard-fought victory. But the ninth-inning brawl had overshadowed the three hours and two minutes of baseball played.

During the postgame, Holmes confirmed that his beanball was completely unintentional, while also hoping that Kjerstad is alright.

"It's unfortunate. You never try to hit somebody in the head," Holmes said to YES Network reporters. "I hope Heston's ok and that he's all good tomorrow. But it was one of those things where conditions weren't great, and I was trying to throw a frontdoor sinker, and it just cut. The movement wasn't my normal sinker... I definitely wasn't trying to do anything, and like I said, I hope everything's good [for Heston]."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was also adamant that Holmes' pitch was an unfortunate accident, and hopes that the incident doesn't resurface during Saturday's afternoon matchup.

“First of all, I hope Heston’s alright. Nobody ever wants to see that. It was scary in the moment,” Boone said during the postgame. “And then obviously, [it was] an emotional moment and two teams playing for a lot. Glad it didn’t escalate too much.

“We’re playing for too much to get caught up in that. We've got to play well. We've got to win ball games. Same for them.”

Meanwhile, Hyde clarified on what set him off and triggered the brawl.

"I was walking back and I heard stuff from their dugout. I reacted the way I did," Hyde said to reporters of MASN and the Baltimore Sun. "I got my guy who just got hit right in the ear. I’m upset & then I see their dugout. They’re waving at me & yelling at me, so I just didn’t appreciate it at the time.”

With the Yankees winning the opening game of this three-game set in Camden Yards, both teams will play two more over the weekend before entering the All-Star break. New York currently trails Baltimore by just one game in the AL East, and can move into first place if they manage to sweep the series.

But for now, the hope is that Kjerstad is in good spirits, and that both teams can bury the hatchet before things could get uglier.