The top of the first inning during Tuesday’s Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox game was strange. Fittingly enough, Chris Sale was at the center of it.
The game’s second hitter — Adam Jones — was greeted with a heartwarming standing ovation, which you can see here. One hitter later, Sale threw behind Manny Machado — reigniting some bad blood between the two teams.
Chris Sale, "inside" 98mph Fastball to Machado. pic.twitter.com/zcDEWdlcuj
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 2, 2017
Machado was at the center of controversy when the two teams played at Camden Yards in April. Following a late slide at second base against Dustin Pedroia, Boston pitcher Matt Barnes threw at Machado and was ejected. You can see both plays here. Barnes was subsequently suspended and fined.
Interestingly enough, both benches were warned after Sale’s pitch, even though Baltimore pitcher Alec Asher had yet to take the mound. The Red Sox and Orioles have 12 more games against each other after Tuesday. Chances are haven’t seen the last of this.