There was a heated moment on the field during the Chicago Cubs' wild card game against the Pirates.
In the top of the seventh inning, Pirates pitcher Tony Watson hit Jake Arrieta with a pitch. The benches cleared as the two teams jawed at one another, but things were eventually settled with only Sean Rodriguez getting ejected after he threw a punch at David Ross in the melee.
The inning ended without incident, and the Cubs continued to lead.
Arrieta discussed the moment in a press conference after the Cubs' win. He said that he wasn't surprised that it happened.
“I anticipated that. It’s just one of those situations where you expect Tony to protect his guys,” said Arrieta, who also explained that two of his pitches that hit Pirates players were unintentional.
When asked why the situation got out of control, Arrieta said it was the play offs.
"Tempers are running hot, it is what it is," Arrieta said. "At the end of the day I have tremendous respect for those guys."
Chicago Baseball
The series begins on Friday afternoon at 5:30 p.m., with Game 1 taking place at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
