CINCINNATI – Nick Castellanos euphorically celebrated an annotation Saturday in front of pitcher Jake Woodford, prompting the benches to be emptied in the Cincinnati Reds’ 9-6 win over St. Louis. Louis Cardinals.
The confrontation spread to the gardens when several relief workers pushed back into the bullpen. Castellanos was the only player sent off in the skirmish.
Castellanos, who connected quadrangular on Opening Day and jumped out of the box before throwing his bat, was hit by Woodford with two outs in the fourth inning. Castellanos recovered the ball and offered to return it to Woodford before throwing it off the field.
An uncontrolled throw then sent Castellanos home, where he scored with a header for a 7-2 lead, colliding with Woodford, who received the shot from receiver Yadier Molina on the plate.
When Castellanos started to walk away, Molina quickly approached and hit him from behind. The benches were emptied into a wild scene.
There were more pushes before it looked like order was being restored. But as both team’s relief pitchers returned to their bullpens, they became entangled in the gardens. The Reds won 9-6.
In 2010, the Cardinals and Reds got into a major fight in Cincinnati. Molina and Brandon Phillips started arguing on the plate and eventually Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto got caught against the grid and tried to get out on kicks.