Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios had words for Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh as he walked off the mound after the top of the fourth inning of Saturday's game, an 8-4 Mariners win. As Berrios and Raleigh exchanged words, both team's benches cleared, though the situation did not escalate any further than that.
So, what exactly prompted Berrios to confront Raleigh in that manner? The Blue Jays hurler suspected that Raleigh was relaying pitch information to his teammates.
"They thought I was relaying. I wasn't. I mean, if you just look at the results, Rowdy [Tellez] was way off-balance," Raleigh told Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. "I didn't have the pitches. But that's just how it is. I'd want my pitchers doing the same thing if somebody thought they were tipping."
If that is indeed what happened, it's not exactly clear how Raleigh was able to intercept Berrios's pitches or how he was able to relay said information to his teammates—some on X have attempted to figure it out. But what is clear is that Berrios was not pleased.
"I don’t react that way very often,” Berríos told The Associated Press. "I’m a quiet and chill guy. But when some people are trying to fight with us in the field, I don’t respect that. I don’t like that."
Blue Jays manager John Schneider, on the other hand, didn't seem to have an issue with what occurred.
"Teams do that. We get it," Schneider said. "In the heat of the moment, you get a little bit fired up. I didn’t think the benches needed to clear. There was nothing crazy going on. But I like when our guys are sticking up for themselves."
Berrios pitched six innings, surrendering three earned runs, including, ironically enough, a go-ahead double to Raleigh in the fifth inning. It will be interesting to see if there are any more shenanigans between these two teams in the series finale on Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Blue Jays Accuse Mariners' Cal Raleigh of Sign Stealing After Benches Clear During Game.
