Jake Arrieta On Benches Clearing In Cubs-Pirates: 'Those Things Happen'
By Chris Emma--
PITTSBURGH (CBS) -- Greeted by loud boos from the largest crowd in PNC Park history, Cubs ace Jake Arrieta could sense what was coming.
The Cubs had a 4-0 lead in hand -- a margin which would prove to be the final score in Wednesday's NL wild-card game -- and Arrieta was dominating, but he had also plunked two Pirates. So in the top of the seventh inning, Tony Watson gripped the ball with his left hand, fired the pitch and drilled Arrieta in the mid-section. Arrieta gave a look of anger toward Watson and walked to the mound.
"The playoffs," Arrieta said of what triggered the response. "There's a lot at stake. Tempers are running hot, and it is what it is. It's just the environment. It breeds that kind of intensity, and sometimes, those things happen."
Benches immediately cleared, relief pitchers fled from the bullpen and pushing ensued. No one was more heated than the Pirates' Sean Rodriguez, who had already been removed from the game and became the only player ejected after he attempted a punch in the scuffle. From there, he returned to the dugout and punched a Gatorade cooler three times.
Both teams would return to their respective sides and continue the game without incident.
"Anyone would get fired up over that," Kris Bryant said. "There's a lot of emotions."
The budding rivalry between the Cubs and Pirates began to grow heated when Chicago's Chris Coghlan injured Pittsburgh infielder Jung Ho Kang on a takeout slide in a game at PNC Park on Sept. 17. Kang tore an ACL on the play. He was helped to the field in a wheelchair prior to Wednesday's wild-card game. Coghlan was greeted with loud boos.
For his part, Arrieta swore he wasn't attempting to hit any Pirates -- not in a winner-take-all game.
"In those situations, there's no way I'm trying to put guys on base with hit batters," Arrieta said. "The balls were pretty slick tonight."
After the game, the Cubs returned to their clubhouse and enjoyed a crazy champagne celebration. The Pirates went home.
Many of the Cubs didn't want to touch on the incident, because they are moving on to St. Louis for the NLDS.
"I'll get into the complete rundown later," David Ross said. "Let's celebrate this (stuff)."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
