ST. LOUIS — The New York Mets‘ hit-by-pitch frustrations boiled over Wednesday when reliever Yoan Lopez threw a pitch near Nolan Arenado‘s head, sparking a benches-clearing brawl that led to Arenado’s ejection in the St. Louis Cardinals‘ 10-5 victory.
Arenado reached base four times and drove in three runs before the incident in the eighth inning.
Mets hitter J.D. Davis left in the top of the eighth after being hit in the left foot by a pitch from Genesis Cabrera, the major-league-leading 19th hit by pitch for the Mets this season — including three Tuesday night against St. Louis.
Lopez zipped a 94 mph fastball near Arenado’s head, and Arenado began yelling for Lopez to “do it again.” The benches and bullpens cleared, and the teams pushed and shoved near home plate.
Cardinals first-base coach Stubby Clapp tackled Mets star Pete Alonso near the center of the melee. Cardinals veteran Adam Wainwright later walked over to Alonso to ask if he was all right.
Clapp was ejected along with Arenado, but Lopez remained in the game.
Lopez was high-fived by several teammates when he returned to the dugout after the inning.
Mets manager Buck Showalter denied after the game that New York felt the need to send a message about the plunkings and said Lopez’s pitch wasn’t intentional.
Showalter also said that X-rays on Davis’ foot were negative but that he’d need further evaluation.
The Mets have been infuriated by a spate of hit batters, and pitcher Chris Bassitt blamed it largely on inconsistencies in baseballs provided by the league a year after Major League Baseball cracked down on the use of illegal sticky substances by pitchers.
“MLB is always concerned about keeping hitters safe from dangerous pitches,” a league spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “We closely analyze trends in the game and have active conversations with our players and coaches to address concerns.
“Through April 26, leaguewide statistics show hit-by-pitch rates and wild pitch rates are down relative to previous seasons. However, one club has been hit more than twice as often as the league average so far in 2022, which is something we will continue to monitor.”