The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in Fenway on Wednesday night (NYY 10, BOS 7), but the headliner was the on-field hostilities between the two AL East powers. Benches first cleared when Tyler Austin slid into Brock Holt at second base with his spikes up, and then Joe Kelly later drilled Austin, which sparked a brawl. Here's a look at the entire affair ...
Violence! Anyhow, the matter of throwing purpose pitches in the name of Boston valor brings us necessarily to Hall of Fame moundsman Pedro Martinez. Here's what Martinez has to say about Kelly's Business Decisions on Wednesday night ...
The only thing I would had done different than Joe Kelly tonight, is I would’ve hit Tyler Austin at his previous at bat. Other than that, Kelly executed perfectly #YankeesvsRedSox
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) April 12, 2018
Martinez hit 141 batters in his career (making him 27th on the all-time list), and a number of those were no doubt pegged with some degree of intent. Pedro's reputation was such that he was able to touch off a brawl after plunking Reggie Sanders with a perfect game intact ...
So would Pedro have put one on Tyler Austin? Signs point to "hell yes."
