In the seventh inning of the Baltimore Orioles’ 8-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, Blaze Alexander suffered a fractured hand on an errant pitch before both benches cleared.
Royals reliever Lucas Erceg struck Alexander in the left hand, drawing a fiery reaction from the infielder and promtping both benches and bullpens to empty.
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While no punches were thrown and no one was ejected, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz later confirmed Alexander suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand.
After the game, Erceg clarified that he did not intend to hit Alexander.
“There’s no ill intent. That’s baseball,” he said. “I mean, guys are going to get hit, and you have to, I guess, kind of understand the situation. I understand why he’s mad. Obviously, you don’t ever want to get hit, especially in the hand. So sorry about that.”
The Orioles were able to hold on for their fourth straight victory and improve to 46-51 on the year.
So far this season, Alexander is batting .312 with four home runs and 29 RBIs, although it’s currently unclear when he’ll be able to return.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
