Rockies Pitcher Speaks Out After Heated Dustup With Red Sox

Wednesday’s Red Sox-Rockies game turned into a laugher, but there was a tense moment before things got really out of hand at Coors Field.

Both Boston and Colorado emptied their benches after Cal Quantrill induced the final out of the fourth inning. Even before Reese McGuire’s flyout found Brenton Doyle’s glove, starter Cal Quantrill started barking at the Red Sox catcher while he jogged up the first-base line. McGuire didn’t even make it to the bag, as he approached Quantrill and needed to be separated from the right-hander.

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No punches were thrown by either side, but there was plenty of shoving and colorful language. Quantrill opened up about the incident after the Rockies’ 20-7 win.

“I recognized how much we were up by,” Quantrill told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “But I celebrate when I get important outs. He took offense to it, so we went through an exchange. It’s baseball. We’ll move on. I had a lot of teammates around me, who kept the emotions in check. So, we move on.”

The 29-year-old added: “I tell people, it’s a hard sport. We work hard at it. We’ve been battling all year and we beat a good team today. I’ll never stop caring about the sport. I put my emotions out there. I do my best to not be directed at the other team. I don’t think I did that today. It just is what it is. The sport matters to all of us. I play with passion.”

It was a somewhat fitting end to the West Coast road trip for the Red Sox, who endured a series of frustrating moments in Los Angeles and Colorado. Boston surely will be eager to return home and resume its push for an American League playoff spot.

Alex Cora’s side will be back at Fenway Park on Friday night when it begins a crucial three-game series against the rival New York Yankees. NESN’s full coverage of the opener begins at 5:30 p.m. ET.