A lost season for the Pittsburgh Pirates turned embarrassing Monday night in San Francisco, when relief pitchers Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez engaged in a fistfight before a game with the Giants.
Crick injured the index finger of his pitching hand in the altercation, and he will require season-ending surgery. Vazquez emerged unhurt and actually pitched the ninth inning and earned the save Monday.
The Pirates, 63-82, announced that it had fined both players an undisclosed amount for violating terms of their contract.
Drama in the #Pirates clubhouse: A fight between Pirates teammates Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez Monday night leads to season-ending finger tendon surgery for Crick. Both players have been fined.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 11, 2019
See, what had happened was…
Crick said Vazquez threw the first punch but that a feud between the two had been simmering for some time.
“One of those clubhouse altercations. A lot of bickering back and forth. Punches were thrown,” Crick said, according to the Associated Press. “You kind of have to at some point stand up for yourself and start throwing back. It’s one of those deals where it’s unfortunate. It’s two losers in this deal. Nobody can win fighting a teammate. It’s just an unfortunate deal.”
There was no word on what the feud was about, though Crick did say he thought the fistfight actually could help the pair get over their beef with each other.
Crick has struggled throughout the season, going 3-7 with a 4.96 ERA in 49 innings pitched. Vazquez, meanwhile, quietly has been one of the best closers in baseball. He’s 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 58 innings.
Kyle Crick needed surgery today after altercation with teammate Felipe Vazquez. Pirates statement below. pic.twitter.com/xeaBBHp7tg
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) September 11, 2019
The Pirate blues
As for the Pirates, who were involved in a major bench-clearing incident with the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the season, it’s another black eye in a bad season.
“The behavior exhibited by these two players last night is unacceptable, inconsistent with the standards expected of a major league player and will not be tolerated by the organization,” general manager Neal Huntington said in a team statement.
According to the Associated Press, manager Clint Hurdle said he wasn’t concerned with team chemistry and that this was an isolated incident. Vazquez pitched that night in a rare Pirates victory, so he’s obviously fine.
But the 2019 season can’t end soon enough in Pittsburgh.
This is Kyle Crick’s second incident with a member of the Pirates organization. This summer, Crick and bullpen coach Euclides Rojas were involved in an altercation that resulted in Rojas’ suspension.
From: @nwilborn19 ⬇https://t.co/ZnuYwxSsoV
— Post-Gazette Sports (@PGSportsNow) September 11, 2019
