Mexican Baseball League match turns into boxing ring

Two fights nuanced the game of the Mexican Baseball League (LMB) between the Tijuana Bulls and the Aguascalientes Rieleros at the Chevron stadium in Tijuana.

The first brawl started in the sixth inning. José Guadalupe Chávez was taking a turn and was hit by a pitch from reliever Anthony Vizcaya.

Chavez, visibly upset as he stripped off his protectors, got into an argument with catcher Francisco Córdoba that ended with both players facing off.

Both players ended up on the ground, while their teammates managed to separate them and avoid greater evils. Because of this situation, Chávez and Córdoba were expelled from the game.

The controversy did not stop there. Tempers flared again in the eighth inning after reliever Brandon Quintero hit catcher Gabriel Gutierrez, the benches emptied again, and this time the fight turned tumultuous.

This incident caused Quintero, Gutiérrez, and rail shortstop Julián Castro to be expelled from the game.

The Tijuana Toros player, Leandro Castro, in the post-game interview believes that the Rieleros “have something personal against us after we played the first game and we did 22 runs.” The declared MVP of the match explained that his team “we respect the game, we respect them … it is an excess of aggressiveness from them towards us.”

The Mexican Baseball League issued a statement with the disciplinary measures taken for the brawl:

Aguascalientes railways:

  • Catcher José Francisco Córdoba is suspended for two games and fined 100 minimum wages in force in the CDMX ($ 14,170 pesos) for hitting José Guadalupe Chávez.

  • Relief pitcher Brandon Quintero is suspended for six games and fined 200 minimum wages in force in Mexico City ($ 28,340 pesos), for intentionally hitting batter Gabriel Gutiérrez with a pitch.

  • Starting pitcher Ernesto Zaragoza is suspended for eight games and fined 200 minimum wages in force in the CDMX ($ 28,340 pesos), for kicking and hitting players from the other club.

  • Manager Luis Carlos Rivera has a game suspended and he is fined 100 minimum wages in force in the CDMX ($ 14,170 pesos) for ordering an intentional hit (ball) to a rival batter.

Club Toros de Tijuana:

  • · Batter José Guadalupe Chávez is suspended for two games and fined 100 minimum wages in force in the CDMX ($ 14,170 pesos) for hitting the catcher Francisco Córdoba.

  • · Batter Gabriel Gutiérrez is suspended 10 games and fined 300 minimum wages in force in Mexico City ($ 42,510 pesos) for trying to hit an opponent with the bat and helmet. It is emphasized that, had he hit the pitcher with the bat, the sanction would have been expulsion from the League, based on the Regulations.

  • The infielder Ricky Álvarez has a game suspended and he is fined 100 minimum wages in force in the CDMX ($ 14,170 pesos) for throwing blows.

  • Junior Lake outfielder has a game suspended and he is fined 100 minimum wages in force in the CDMX ($ 14,170 pesos) for throwing punches.

  • Outfielder Peter O’Brien has a game suspended and he is fined 100 minimum wages in force in Mexico City ($ 14,170 pesos) for throwing punches.

  • Pitcher Brennan Bernardino was fined 50 minimum wages in force in CDMX ($ 7,085 pesos) for challenging with blows when the situation had calmed down.

The LMB urges both clubs to impose the internal corrective measures that they consider pertinent, in order to eradicate this type of unsportsmanlike conduct that damages the image of the game.

Information from the seventh entry was used in this report.

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