Written by Scott Lauber at ESPN.com
This time, the pitch went nowhere close to Manny Machado’s head. But that didn’t stop Machado from losing his mind.
In the latest chapter of the beanball drama between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, Boston ace Chris Sale threw a 98 mph fastball at the knees and behind Machado in the first inning on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
The Orioles slugger homered off Sale later in the game, but he went on an expletive-laden rant after the Red Sox’s 5-2 victory in which he blasted the pitcher and said he “lost [his] respect for that organization, that coaching staff and everyone over there.”
“I mean, if you’re going to f—ing hit me, hit me. Go ahead. F—ing hit me,” Machado said. “Don’t let this s— keep lingering, f—ing around and keep trying to hit people. It’s f—ing bulls—.”
Informed of Machado’s comments, Sale shrugged.
“Whatever, man,” said Sale, who didn’t discuss the intention of his pitch. “Not losing any sleep tonight.”
The ongoing feud between the Red Sox and Orioles dates to April 21 in Baltimore. Machado slid spikes-high into Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who missed the next three games with a sore left knee and ankle.
Two days after the slide, Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes threw a 90 mph pitch behind Machado’s head. Major League Baseball suspended Barnes for four games, and Pedroia publicly denounced his teammates’ actions, with television cameras capturing him telling Machado, “It’s not me, it’s them.”
Although both sides claimed the situation was over before this week’s series began Monday at Fenway, Orioles starter Dylan Bundy drilled Red Sox star Mookie Betts in the left hip on Monday night. The Orioles chalked it up to routine wildness, with manager Buck Showalter citing Bundy’s four walks in the game as an explanation for the pitch to Betts getting away.
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