A play at the plate in Tuesday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates escalated to the point that the benches emptied in a tense scene.
In the top of the fourth inning, with the Cubs holding a 1-0 lead, the Pirates’ Yoshi Tsutsugo flied out to right field. Daniel Vogelbach, a former Cubs prospect, tried to tag up and score, but Seiya Suzuki made a perfect throw from right field that allowed Willson Contreras to tag Vogelbach out with plenty of time to spare.
That’s where things got weird. After an awkward slide from Vogelbach, Contreras appeared to lean over him and say something, before patting him on the back. Vogelbach – who was minor league teammates with Contreras – took issue with whatever happened, and tossed the catcher’s facemask to the side as he stood up.
The two players then continued to get in each other’s faces, which led to the two benches clearing.
Nothing more notable came after the two teams walked onto the field, and no one was tossed from the game. The Cubs ended up winning, 7-0, having now outscored Pittsburgh 16-0 in the first two games.
Both players are in the midst of excellent seasons with their respective teams. Contreras, 30, is batting .275 with a .392 on-base percentage and five home runs, while Vogelbach, 29, has hit six homers with an .822 OPS.