BOSTON — Houston Astros reliever Hector Neris used a balk to advance a runner to 3rd on Saturday, then had an alternate with Purple Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson that led to a dustup between the groups.
Neris surrendered Trevor Story’s two-out RBI double within the seventh inning of Houston’s 7-3 loss. The best-hander then balked, shifting Story to 3rd, earlier than Carlos Narvaez bounced to shortstop for the ultimate out.
As Neris made his approach off the mound, he had phrases with Hudson and yelled towards the Purple Sox dugout, inflicting each groups, together with bullpens, to return on the sector earlier than order was shortly restored.
Requested if he felt the Purple Sox have been stealing indicators, Neris responded: “Possibly. Possibly sure, possibly no.”
“However I nonetheless needed to pay attention,” the 36-year-old right-hander continued. “In [that] state of affairs, I wish to do what I am feeling within the second. That’s the reason why I moved him to 3rd.”
Neris declined to specify what he stated to Hudson that brought on the benches to empty.
“Nothing. It is a part of the sport,” he stated with a smile. “One thing humorous. Folks come into [the clubhouse] possibly to listen to what occurred, however nothing severe.”
Astros supervisor Joe Espada, talking to the media earlier than Neris, had no perception into what brought on the confrontation.
“I am really going to ask Neris,” he stated. “I actually do not know what phrases have been exchanged to be trustworthy with you.”