Yanks beat Rays, benches empty after Chapman's brush back

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 mph fastball near the head of pinch-hitter Michael Brosseau while closing out his first save of the season, prompting the benches to empty after New York ended a six-game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night.

Chapman's first pitch to Brosseau with two outs in the ninth inning whizzed past Brosseau's head, and umpires met before issuing warnings to both benches amid a budding rivalry that's been dominated this season by Tampa Bay. The Rays are 7-2 against the Yankees and lead second-place New York by 3 1/2 games.

Chapman struck out Brosseau to end it, and Brosseau began walking toward the visiting dugout before turning back to exchange words with someone on the Yankees. The dugouts and benches emptied and players gathered near home plate, but they mostly kept their distance before dispersing to their respective clubhouses.

Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka hit Joey Wendle with a pitch in the first inning, which Rays manager Kevin Cash believed was intentional.

“It's absolutely ridiculous,” Cash said. "It was mishandled by the Yankees. Certainly the pitcher on the mound. It was mishandled by the umpires.

“Somebody has to be accountable. The last thing I’ll say on it is I got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 mph. Period."

Told of Cash's threat, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it was “a pretty scary comment. I don’t think that’s right at all. But I'm not going to get into it right now."

Teams have been warned not to leave the benches this season as part of the league’s coronavirus protocols. Players on both sides seemed to be urging others to deescalate.

Chapman began the season on the COVID-19 injured list. He had been 0 for 1 in save chances...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Yanks-beat-Rays-benches-empty-after-Chapman-s-15535347.php