The Orioles have gotten pushed around by the Boston Red Sox for years, last night Kevin Gregg took it upon himself to put an end to that. A seemingly ‘roid-raged David Ortiz pointed at the Orioles closer when he threw an inside pitch to him in the eight inning, Ortiz’s reaction cleared the benches. After Gregg got Ortiz to flyout, he casually jogged to first base, which caused Gregg to direct him to the bag. That’s where the fun started.
Ortiz charged the mound and punches were exchanged, though none seemed to land. The best blow was probably delivered by catcher Matt Wieters, who after making a catch at home shoved Ortiz in the the middle of the brouhaha.
Ortiz’s reaction to a couple pitches inside did not sit well with the Orioles after the game. Here’s what a few of them had to say after the 10-3 loss.
- Kevin Gregg: “We have just as much of a right to pitch inside as they do.” “They are going to whine and complain about it because they think they are better than everybody else.” “We’re not backing down, we’re not scared of them. Them and they’re $180 million payroll, we don’t care. We’re here to play the game, we have just as much [of a] right to play the game here and we’re here to win.”
- Nick Markakis: “I don’t understand why he went after him. It’s a 3-0 pitch, two outs and you have a guy tagging up and a guy swinging at a 3-0 pitch in a six-run game. It doesn’t make sense. He knows the game better than that. Put them on our side and us on their side. It’s a little bush league. Like I said, I’m sure he’s going to look back and realize that he made a mistake, especially charging our pitcher regardless of what was said.”
- Adam Jones: “I’m not mad at how that situation escalated one bit.” On if he was proud of how Gregg responded, “couldn’t be prouder.”
- Zach Britton: “The two pitches that Gregg threw to Papi weren’t even close, so it was unnecessary for him to stare down and act like a tough guy.” “There’s no reason we’re trying to hit him, we’re getting our ass kicked, we’re not trying to hit him. You know that’s what you get, Big Papi, he is what he is.”
Great job getting all this coverage up Zach. Gregg’s quotes seem to come from a fairly defensive place (as I think we would all expect them too) but for the most part I really like Markakis, Jones, and Britton quotes.
Thanks Ross. I’m waiting for someone to publish Beckett’s quotes. I heard them this morning, but haven’t seen them written out. He got defensive and dropped a few four letter words. Classy.
Peter the Great has succeeded once again to put together a little league team that gets pushed around,,,,,,,,,,,this franchise is a joke…………..
Please.
The O’s are irelevant for the 14th straight season. By their own admission, they are as frustrated as a Palestinian refugee camp resident who is ready to just throw a grenade.
That’s all they are. That’s all they have left.
It’s the highlight of their season. It’s pitiful.
@shmessy –
Look at most teams history, theyve all gone through this…Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, they’ve all be through this down period. Red Sox went 86 years between championships and had an period in the 80’s and 90’s were they were irrelevant. Yankees? 14 straight years out of the playoffs. It’s sad, but it’s true.
@MGW –
MGW, you are correct, however, you won’t find me defending the Yawkey Group’s ownership (which ostensibly ended in 2002) for one second. However, he and his wife are dead, so there is nothing to act on now.
The OWNERSHIP of the Orioles must change. Simple as that. Anyone who is hoping for success under the cold sore of a human being who owns the team now, is hoping against hope.
What Angelos has done to what was once a gem of a franchise should be considered criminal.