Bad blood has developed between the Pirates and Reds over the course of the season, as a number of players have been hit by pitches and taken exception to it. Another incident occurred on Monday night when Brandon Phillips was hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh hurler Jared Hughes, resulting in a warning for both teams.
It is unclear whether or not he’s claiming it happened before or after he was hit, but Phillips wrote on his Twitter account after the game that a Pirates player made a racist comment toward him.
#RealTalk… Not really surprised by what I heard come outta another player’s mouth tonite but DAMN… Still PISSED bout that $h¡+!! #Racism
— Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP) September 11, 2012
Phillips gave no clarification and simply followed up with a tweet about how pleased he was to get the win in extra innings. While we hope it’s not true, it certainly wouldn’t be the first case of racism or cultural insensitivity that we’ve seen in professional sports. Rivalries exist and tempers are going to flare, but there’s no excuse for any player to bring race into a disagreement.
UPDATE: Phillips talked with Hughes and they both say there is no issue.
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
