Things got chippy between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels on Saturday. Both benches cleared in the bottom of the 8th inning after Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was hit in the back of the head by a curveball from Angels reliever Jose Soriano.
Alonso, whose helmet fell off in the moment, had some choice words for Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Alonso had to be held back by Daniel Vogelbach and manager Buck Showalter to prevent the situation from escalating further.
As Alonso and O’Hoppe continued their heated exchange, players from both Angels and Mets benches began to run onto the field, as seen in the video below:
Benches cleared — but no punches thrown — after Pete Alonso is hit near the back of his neck with a José Soriano curveball. Alonso had some words for Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe after the pitch. He was then removed for a pinch-runner. pic.twitter.com/NeZ5Po1yUX
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 27, 2023
While the incident flared up enough for the benches to empty, no punches were thrown and no players were tossed before the resumption of play. Alonso was replaced by a pinch runner Danny Mendick after the incident.
The Mets, who trailed 5-3 when Alonso got hit, were unable to mount a comeback as the score stood as Angels closer Carlos Estevez recorded the save. Alonso went 0-of-3 on the evening before being removed.
Mets manager Buck Showalter later said that Alonso had cleared concussion protocol.
Pete Alonso passed concussion protocol after being hit in the neck tonight. He's doing all right, per Buck Showalter, and shouldn't need more testing in the morning.
"We might have got lucky — again," Showalter said. "But how many times can you get lucky?"
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 27, 2023
