The Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan has resumed play without fans in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, but the lack of energy in the stadium didn’t stop emotions from boiling over during a game on Sunday.
In the 4th inning of a game between the Fubon Guardians and Rakuten Monkeys, the Monkeys took exception to a few pitches that were thrown inside on infielder Kuo Yen-Wen. Guardians pitcher Henry Sosa was either determined to hit Yen-Wen from the start or didn’t appreciate Rakuten raising a stink, so the right-hander then plunked Yen-Wen on the backside. Benches cleared and some shoves were exchanged.
2020 4/19 CPBL #FubonGuardians vs #RakutenMonkeys #ForTheFans #CPBL pic.twitter.com/x9ZusXE2p5
— ELEVEN SPORTS TAIWAN (@ElevenSportsTW) April 19, 2020
The ironic thing is the stadium was empty as part of an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Players shoving one another and screaming in each other’s faces is the exact opposite of social distancing and taking precautions, but neither team seemed to care.
We’ve shown you a lot of baseball fights over the years, and that one was a pillow fight compared to many of them. However, it may be the most unique bench-clearing incident of all time in that it took place in an empty stadium during a pandemic.
