By Hal McCoy
The Cincinnati Reds survived a furious comeback assault by the Chicago White Sox, but more importantly they survived an assault on Sal Stewart.
The Reds won, 9-8, staving off Chicago’s late-game rallies, but the talk of the game was what happened to Stewart.
He hit a home run in the first inning off White Sox starter Davis Martin and stood at home plate watching the flight of his 419-foot crusher into the left-center seats.
Admiring long home runs is done by nearly every player who crushes long home runs, but Martin obviously took umbrage.
When Stewart led off the third inning, Martin’s first pitch was right at Stewart’s head, but whizzed over it to the backstop.
The next pitch was a direct hit on Stewart’s helmet and he reacted angrily, screaming at the White Sox duogout as he held aloft two fingers and yelled, “That’s two at my head. That’s two.”
Both benches and bullpens emptied, but there was no physical contact. The umpires huddled and crew chief Alan Porter ejected Martin.
Obviously, the umpires judged that it was on purpose.
Reds manager Tito Francona sided with the umpires.
“I thought that was extremely blatant,” he said. “You can’t throw two balls that high like that. You’ll kill somebody. I thought that was terrible.”
Stewart was more cautious about his reaction, but got his message across, with words and with two hits, a walk and four runs scored.
“He threw the first pitch over my head, things happen. Maybe it slipped. He apologized. Then the very next pitch he came right back up there,” he said.
“More than anything it was kind of a scary moment,” he added. “It was in the heat of the moment and I’m happy my teammates were there. I don’t want to make this a big deal, I really don’t. I don’t know what really happened, but it’s scary when the balls are coming up and in.
“That’s all I have to say about it,” he added.
When somebody asked him about the game’s outcome, he said, “That’s the question I want to hear.
“A good series win, I’m happy for our guys, it was a good win. They’re a good team,” he said.
The Reds took two of three from the White Sox, the first place team in the American League Central.
The Reds took a 3-0 lead in the first inningh on Stewart’s home run, a hit by pitch on Tyler Stephenson (the Reds were hit three times) and a home run by Eugenio Suarez, his fourth in five games.
But the White Sox scored one in the bottom of the first and three in the bottom of the second against Reds starter Andrew Abbott.
Abbott retired the first two in the second, then gave up four straight hits and the three runs put the White Sox ahead, 4-3.
After Stewart was hit in the third, he scored on Suarez’s sacrifice fly to tie it, 4-4.
The Reds appeared to put it out of reach in the fourth with four runs, the big swing coming from Tyler Stephenson, a three-run home run. And Stewart was on base when Stephenson connected.
That gave the Reds an 8-4 lead, but the White Sox are in first place for a reason. They don’t quit.
They scored a run in the fifth and the Reds responded with a run in the sixth. Chicago rookie Tanner McDougal, making his MLB debut, retired his first batter, Elly De La Cruz, then walked three straight — including Stewart — and hit Suarez with a pitch to force in a run.
That gave the Reds a 9-5 lead, but it wasn’t even close to being over.
The White Sox scored two in the eighth off Sam Moll, cutting it to 9-7.
Francona revealed after the game that closer Emilio Pagan was not available due to soreness in his hand.
So he sent rookie Julian Garcia to the mound for the ninth, Cincinnati’s seventh pitcher of the day.
And he was in instant trouble when he walked the first batter, Braden Montgomery, on four pitches. He struck out dangerous pinch-hitter Munetaka Murakami and Cole Montgomery flied deeply to the warning track for the second out.
But Edgar Quero singled to score Braden Montgomery and it was 9-8.
That brought up Sam Antonacci, owner of six hits during the series, with the potential tying run on first and the winning run digging in at home plate.
Antonucci ripped one hard up the middle and shortstop De La Cruz intercepted it behind second base and threw him out to end it.
“That was just how we drew it up,” Francona said with a laugh. “There was a lot going on there, but we hung on. That would have been a really tough loss, but it’s not. So it’s a good win.”
Asked about Stewart’s offensive response after Martin went head-hunting, Francona said, “I don’t think he’s scared. That doesn’t concern me, I never do. It’s no fun having somebody throwing 98 at your head. But he’s not gonna back down.”
After the devastating news that Hunter Greene underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss all of next season, missing Pagan was a downer, too.
“He has some hand soreness,” said Francona. “We’re gonna get him looked at tomorrow morning. He really wanted to pitch, but I’d have a hard time sending him out there. If he checks out, good, I just want to make sure he’s OK.”
After a 2-4 trip, the Reds return home Friday night to play the Miami Marlins and Francona said, “Now we get to go home and see if we can dodge some more rain.”
And dodge any additional pitching injuries.
Head-Hunting…
By Hal McCoy
The Cincinnati Reds survived a furious comeback assault by the Chicago White Sox, but more importantly they survived an assault on Sal Stewart.
The Reds won, 9-8, staving off Chicago’s late-game rallies, but the talk of the game was what happened to Stewart.
He hit a home run in the first inning off White Sox starter Davis Martin and stood at home plate watching the flight of his 419-foot crusher into the left-center seats.
Admiring long home runs is done by nearly every player who crushes long home runs, but Martin obviously took umbrage.
When Stewart led off the third inning, Martin’s first pitch was right at Stewart’s head, but whizzed over it to the backstop.
The next pitch was a direct hit on Stewart’s helmet and he reacted angrily, screaming at the White Sox duogout as he held aloft two fingers and yelled, “That’s two at my head. That’s two.”
Both benches and bullpens emptied, but there was no physical contact. The umpires huddled and crew chief Alan Porter ejected Martin.
Obviously, the umpires judged that it was on purpose.
Reds manager Tito Francona sided with the umpires.
“I thought that was extremely blatant,” he said. “You can’t throw two balls that high like that. You’ll kill somebody. I thought that was terrible.”
Stewart was more cautious about his reaction, but got his message across, with words and with two hits, a walk and four runs scored.
“He threw the first pitch over my head, things happen. Maybe it slipped. He apologized. Then the very next pitch he came right back up there,” he said.
“More than anything it was kind of a scary moment,” he added. “It was in the heat of the moment and I’m happy my teammates were there. I don’t want to make this a big deal, I really don’t. I don’t know what really happened, but it’s scary when the balls are coming up and in.
“That’s all I have to say about it,” he added.
When somebody asked him about the game’s outcome, he said, “That’s the question I want to hear.
“A good series win, I’m happy for our guys, it was a good win. They’re a good team,” he said.
The Reds took two of three from the White Sox, the first place team in the American League Central.
The Reds took a 3-0 lead in the first inningh on Stewart’s home run, a hit by pitch on Tyler Stephenson (the Reds were hit three times) and a home run by Eugenio Suarez, his fourth in five games.
But the White Sox scored one in the bottom of the first and three in the bottom of the second against Reds starter Andrew Abbott.
Abbott retired the first two in the second, then gave up four straight hits and the three runs put the White Sox ahead, 4-3.
After Stewart was hit in the third, he scored on Suarez’s sacrifice fly to tie it, 4-4.
The Reds appeared to put it out of reach in the fourth with four runs, the big swing coming from Tyler Stephenson, a three-run home run. And Stewart was on base when Stephenson connected.
That gave the Reds an 8-4 lead, but the White Sox are in first place for a reason. They don’t quit.
They scored a run in the fifth and the Reds responded with a run in the sixth. Chicago rookie Tanner McDougal, making his MLB debut, retired his first batter, Elly De La Cruz, then walked three straight — including Stewart — and hit Suarez with a pitch to force in a run.
That gave the Reds a 9-5 lead, but it wasn’t even close to being over.
The White Sox scored two in the eighth off Sam Moll, cutting it to 9-7.
Francona revealed after the game that closer Emilio Pagan was not available due to soreness in his hand.
So he sent rookie Julian Garcia to the mound for the ninth, Cincinnati’s seventh pitcher of the day.
And he was in instant trouble when he walked the first batter, Braden Montgomery, on four pitches. He struck out dangerous pinch-hitter Munetaka Murakami and Cole Montgomery flied deeply to the warning track for the second out.
But Edgar Quero singled to score Braden Montgomery and it was 9-8.
That brought up Sam Antonacci, owner of six hits during the series, with the potential tying run on first and the winning run digging in at home plate.
Antonucci ripped one hard up the middle and shortstop De La Cruz intercepted it behind second base and threw him out to end it.
“That was just how we drew it up,” Francona said with a laugh. “There was a lot going on there, but we hung on. That would have been a really tough loss, but it’s not. So it’s a good win.”
Asked about Stewart’s offensive response after Martin went head-hunting, Francona said, “I don’t think he’s scared. That doesn’t concern me, I never do. It’s no fun having somebody throwing 98 at your head. But he’s not gonna back down.”
After the devastating news that Hunter Greene underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss all of next season, missing Pagan was a downer, too.
“He has some hand soreness,” said Francona. “We’re gonna get him looked at tomorrow morning. He really wanted to pitch, but I’d have a hard time sending him out there. If he checks out, good, I just want to make sure he’s OK.”
After a 2-4 trip, the Reds return home Friday night to play the Miami Marlins and Francona said, “Now we get to go home and see if we can dodge some more rain.”
And dodge any additional pitching injuries.