CINCINNATI (Neth.) – Nick Castellanos euphorically celebrated a touchdown on pitcher Jake Woodford on Saturday to empty the benches in the Cincinnati Reds’ 9-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The showdown spread to the outfield as several relievers were pushed back into the bullpen. Castellanos was the only player to be sent off in the skirmish.
Castellanos, who homered 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.
A wild pitch then sent Castellanos home, where he scored on a header for a 7-2 lead, when he collided with Woodford, who was hit at home by catcher Yadier Molina.
As Castellanos started to walk away, Molina quickly approached and hit him from behind. The banks were emptied in a wild scene.
There was more hubbub before things seemed to be restored. But when the relief waters of both teams returned to their bullpens, they became entangled in the outfield. The Reds won 9-6.
In 2010, the Cardinals and Reds got into a big fight in Cincinnati. Molina and Brandon Phillips started arguing at the plate and eventually Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto got stuck against the fence and tried to kick out.