Baltimore Orioles third baseman Blaze Alexander sustained a fractured left hand after being hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of the team's 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The incident triggered a benches-clearing situation, though no punches were thrown.
Royals reliever Lucas Erceg's 1-2 pitch missed outside the strike zone and struck Alexander. The Orioles infielder expressed his displeasure towards Erceg, prompting a swift reaction from the Orioles' staff who intervened to prevent further escalation. Both teams' dugouts emptied, but the tension subsided shortly after, with players returning to their respective dugouts.
Following the game, Erceg stated that the hit-by-pitch was unintentional. "There’s no ill intent. That’s baseball," Erceg told reporters. "I mean, guys are going to get hit, and you have to, I guess, kind of understand the situation. I understand why he’s mad. Obviously, you don’t ever want to get hit, especially in the hand. So sorry about that."
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz described the injury as a "gut punch." Alexander's injury is a significant blow to the Orioles, who were on a four-game winning streak heading into the MLB All-Star break. Alexander was batting .312 at the time of his injury.
Both the Orioles and Royals are currently positioned near the bottom of their respective divisions. The Orioles are fourth in the AL East, 11.5 games behind the first-place Rays. The Royals are in last place in the AL Central, 13 games behind the first-place White Sox, and are more than 20 games under .500 for the season.