The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are battling for a playoff spot, so it is no real surprise that things got rather hostile during their recent series. One incident even went under the radar a bit.
Astros outfielder Chas McCormick seemed to raise the ire of the Mariners during Tuesday’s 6-2 Seattle victory. During the fifth inning, McCormick was narrowly thrown out on a ground ball, but seemed to leave a trailing arm behind him in an unsuccessful bid to interfere with Seattle first baseman Ty France.
In the 9th inning, McCormick was drilled in the lower back by Mariners closer Andres Munoz, which seemed a bit more than coincidental.
Chas McCormick reaches out trying to interfere with a close play at first. Gets drilled in the back with 99 mph. pic.twitter.com/6h3MD9zhXo
— Prospect Dugout (@prospectdugout) September 27, 2023
If the Mariners saw McCormick’s trailing arm as intentional, it would make sense for them to be mad. That play could be dangerous for France, though nothing bad happened in the moment.
Things got more heated on Wednesday, as the benches cleared after a confrontation between Houston’s Hector Neris and Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez. Ultimately, the Astros won two of three and left town in a much better position in the playoff race.
