A third plunking in as many days ignited Ramon Laureano’s frustration Sunday, but the hit-by-pitches reportedly weren’t what set the Athletics center fielder off at O.co Coliseum.
Laureano was at the center of a bench-clearing brawl in the series finale between Oakland and Houston. The incident began when the 26-year-old was beaned in the seventh inning by Humberto Castellanos, but it wasn’t the Astros reliever who really drew the ire of Laureano. Houston hitting coach Alex Cintron appeared to be the one who fueled the fire, culminating with Laureano charging the Astros’ dugout and both benches emptying.
The A’s center fielder reportedly took great exception with a particular remark made by Cintron.
We’ll know more soon, but a person I respect has been told that the A’s Ramón Laureano charged toward Alex Cintron because Cintron mentioned Laureano’s mother in a bad way.
In Latino culture, those are fighting words. #Astros #Athletics— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) August 9, 2020
Oakland manager Bob Melvin also is confident an out-of-bounds comment came out of Houston’s dugout.
“Ramon’s not going over there for no reason,” Melvin said, per ESPN, citing The Associated Press. “I think the league will know who that is and that person will get suspended. Hopefully, that’s the case. Nowadays without fans in the stands and mikes everywhere my guess is they know who it is.”
Laureano and A’s catcher Austin Allen were the only two ejected from the game as a result of the skirmish. Oakland’s center fielder all but surely will face further discipline from Major League Baseball, though it remains to be seen if anyone else will be punished for their role in the incident.
The A’s completed a three-game sweep of the Astros with a 7-2 win Sunday. The American League West rivals next will meet over the final weekend in August for a three-game series in Houston.
