Chris Martin seemed to provide the spark the Boston Red Sox dugout needed at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon.
Martin got into a heated verbal confrontation with Milwaukee Brewers first base coach Quentin Berry. It started because Martin expressed his displeasure with Milwaukee’s approach at the plate in the seventh inning, which Berry clearly did not appreciate. The verbal exchange prompted both benches to clear as coaches and players separated Berry from Martin.
And while there were no punches thrown, Red Sox manager Alex Cora and outfielder Jarren Duran thought it added to the atmosphere and fired up the group.
“Whenever you clear benches, everybody is a little fired up,” Duran told NESN’s Jahmai Webster immediately after the 2-1 win. “Big Rig (Martin) was getting everybody hyped up, he was pissed. You never see him like that, he’s always a calm, cool guy.”
Cora wasn’t too concerned about the argument, but did see it energize Fenway Park.
“I think it was good. I mean, the atmosphere was great,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN. “The fans got into it.”
Martin was frustrated with how Milwaukee bunted in consecutive at-bats during the 1-1 game, and expressed that to Berry.
Duran broke that 1-all tie with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. It scored Ceddanne Rafaela for the game-winning run as Boston avoided a series sweep.
The Red Sox travel to Baltimore and open a three-game series against the Orioles on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
