ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels engaged in a lengthy full-team brawl in the second inning Sunday after tensions over two days of inside pitches boiled over.
Both managers and six players were ejected after the brouhaha, which stopped and started twice before Angels closer Raisel Iglesias came back out to the empty field to throw a tub of sunflower seeds and another bucket of gum onto the infield.
Three of the first four hitters in Seattle’s lineup were ejected, while three Angels pitchers were tossed.
Seattle’s Jesse Winker was hit by the first pitch of the second inning by Angels opener Andrew Wantz, who had also thrown a pitch behind the head of the Mariners’ No. 2 hitter, Julio Rodriguez, in the first inning.
The first pitch to Rodriguez certainly appeared to be a response to Erik Swanson’s 95 mph fastball near Mike Trout’s head in the ninth inning Saturday night, a throw that infuriated the three-time AL MVP. The umpires gathered together after the pitch, but only issued warnings to both dugouts.
Winker reacted to getting hit by angrily yelling and gesturing at the Angels’ dugout, and the sides charged each other moments later, with both benches and bullpens emptying. The brawl lasted about four minutes, with people from both teams appearing to throw multiple punches.
When Winker finally left the field, he appeared to make an obscene gesture at the jeering Angels fans behind Seattle’s dugout.
After the teams returned to their dugouts, Iglesias returned a few moments later to throw the sunflower seeds and gum while furiously screaming at the umpires.
Los Angeles interim manager Phil Nevin and Seattle’s Scott Servais were ejected. The Angels lost Wantz, Iglesias and reliever Ryan Tepera, while Winker, Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford were tossed for the Mariners.
The scoreless game was delayed about 18 minutes, and it resumed with pinch-runner Adam Frazier on first for Seattle and Jose Suarez on the mound for Los Angeles.
The AL West rivals were meeting for the eighth time in 11 days, with the Mariners going for a sweep in Anaheim after the Angels won four of five in Seattle last week.
