The benches briefly cleared Wednesday night at Rate Field in Chicago after a seventh-inning play involving the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox escalated into a verbal dispute and drew the attention of umpires.
White Sox infielder Sam Antonacci slid into Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe while attempting to break up a double play. Following the play, Lowe appeared to confront Antonacci, questioning his slide. The situation intensified when Lowe returned to the field, exchanging words with Antonacci and prompting Lowe to ask Antonacci, "What the f–k is the matter with you?"
Antonacci defended his slide, stating it was legal as he maintained contact with the base. "Just to try to make a harder throw for him to have to make," Antonacci said, according to MLB.com. "Completely legal play. If you go look at the rulebook or go look at what happened, you can slide as late as you want as long as you keep contact with the bag and that’s exactly what happened."
Lowe, however, expressed frustration with what he perceived as a problematic slide. "I just didn’t like the slide. Said my piece and walked away," Lowe stated postgame. "I don’t really know what led to it clearing, but bad slide the first night, bad slide tonight, and just kind of tired of it."
The play occurred with the Pirates leading 4-1 and the bases loaded with one out. Lowe successfully completed the double play, retiring Antonacci at second and then throwing to first base to end the inning and preserve the Pirates' lead. The Pirates went on to win the game 4-2.
White Sox manager Will Venable supported Antonacci's effort, characterizing his play as hard but not dirty. "Obviously Sammy goes out there and plays extremely hard," Venable said. "I wouldn’t say anything he does is dirty, but you understand when guys play hard and there’s contact. At this point, Sammy is probably developing a reputation [as someone] who goes out and plays hard and puts his body on the line."
An announcer reportedly noted that Antonacci has a history of similar plays, referring to it as sticking out a "chicken wing." Cameras captured Antonacci being restrained by an umpire while other Pirates players approached him.
The Pirates' victory marked their return to .500 for the first time since August 3 and extended their winning streak to three games. They are currently five games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League Wild Card spot with 16 games remaining.
The White Sox have lost three of their last four games and hold a two-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. The two teams are scheduled to meet from September 14-16.
