The New York Yankees’ win over the Baltimore Orioles was unfortunately tainted by a nasty incident. During the last inning, Herston Kjerst went up to the plate to face closer Clay Holmes. Unfortunately, during the at-bat, one of Holmes’ pitches got away from him badly, drilling Kjerst in the head. There was a few minutes of silence while medics took care of the Orioles batter.
Suddenly, both benches cleared in what appeared to be a brawl. A video review of the incident revealed that there seemed to be an instigating incident that caused the Orioles to charge at the Yankees. Emotions were running high, but the umpires were able to clear up the ruckus and handed out the necessary punishments. Kjerst was also able to stand up and walk on his own, which is always a good sign.
After getting the save, Holmes was naturally asked about the pitch. The Yankees pitcher said that he hoped that Kjerst was okay, and that it was not intentional, per Gary Phillips.
““It was one of those things where it’s unfortunate,” Holmes said. “You’re never trying to hit somebody in the head up high like that. Hope Heston’s okay from that. Definitely hope that he’s all good tomorrow, but it’s one of those things where it’s just conditions weren’t great. I was trying to throw a front-door sinker there and it just cut. The movement wasn’t my normal sinker and just kind of pulled it.
“I definitely wasn’t trying to do anything and hurt him, hit him. But I hope everything’s good.””
With the rain pouring down in the ninth, it’s easy to see how a sure-handed pitcher like Holmes could be thrown off. It was clearly not intentional, but it seemed like the reaction of some members of the Yankees dugout enraged the Orioles. Expect some punishment to be handed out in the next few days.
Yankees-Orioles rivalry in full swing
With the Orioles returning to playoff contention, their rivalry between the Yankees has been reignited. The Yankees initially held quite a large lead over the Orioles to start the season. However, poor performance from the Pinstripes and a resurgence from Baltimore has resulted in the latter team retaking the division lead.
While the Yankees would still comfortably make the Wild Card race if they keep their pace, there’s a few reasons why they would want to pursue that top seed. The first reason is that being the division leader gives them a chance to get a bye into the Divisional Series. A bye would be extremely helpful in recovering for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.
Also, there’s also the division rivalry factor. It’s never just enough to win: you have to put your biggest competitors at a disadvantage. Winning the division would give the Yankees a bigger edge than the Orioles should they cross paths in the postseason. That is almost always going to be a factor.
