Rays and Red Sox Having a Little Trouble Getting Along

It's cliché and a bit dated but there is one statement that seems to apply more and more to sports everyday—can't we all just get along?

There is something to be said for supporting your teammates and not letting someone cheap shot them and get away with it. That's how you build chemistry ad camaraderie. You have to let the guy next to you know in some way, shape or form that you have his back.

Well, in the world of baseball that often results in pitchers hitting opposing batters with a really hard object (a baseball)at speeds that would get someone a hefty speeding ticket if they were caught driving that fast.

Boston Red Sox middle reliever Franklin Morales did just that to Luke Scott of the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning of their game on Friday. The pitch was clearly meant to hit Scott and resulted in both benches clearing—maybe, just maybe, encouraged by Scott brandishing his bat as he faces off with Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Order was eventually restored and primarily took getting the managers under control. Amazingly no one was tossed from this game, especially Morales. The pitch was clearly in retaliation for Dustin Pedroia getting hit earlier. While Luke Scott got righteously angry, he never actually hit anyone (he just looked ready to swing for the fences).

It would not be shocking if Morales were to get reprimanded by the league when all is said and done though. This will mark the second time in recent weeks that he hit an opposing batter in retaliation. When the Red Sox and Rays faced off last week against the Rays he hit Will Rhymes in apparent retaliation for Adrian Gonzalez getting hit earlier in the game.

With that kind of track record and with Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels bringing attention to the ‘old school' way of doing things, it would not be shocking if the league were to try and make an example of Morales.

(This clip shows Rhymes getting hit by Morales last week and talks about him losing consciousness on the field afterwards.)

Article by Travis Pulver