On February 11 1987 — After refusing the New York Mets‘ $800,000 one-year offer, 1986 World Series MVP Ray Knight signs with the Baltimore Orioles for $475,000 plus incentives and an option for an additional year.
Sparks continue to fly between the Orioles and Red Sox. The whole ruckus started on April 21st, when Boston 2B Dustin Pedroia was spiked on a hard slide by Manny Machado and had to miss a few games. On April 23rd, Matt Barnes was ejected for throwing a pitch behind Machado and was handed a four-game suspension. When the teams meet again at Fenway Park this week, more incidents follow: on May 1st, Orioles CF Adam Jonesdenounces racial slurs directed at him by spectators, prompting the Red Sox to apologize and take action by banning the offending patron. But bad blood flows again when Chris Sale throws a fastball at Machado the next day eliciting only a warning. Major League Baseball warns both teams to be on their best behavior before today’s game, but in the 2nd inning, Orioles P Kevin Gausman hits Xander Bogaerts and is tossed, even if the pitch was a curveball. Umpire Sam Holbrook explains that “there needs to be an end to this stuff”. For good measure, Jones is tossed out as well in the 5th, but for arguing balls and strikes. When the dust settles, Boston wins the game, 4 – 2, behind Drew Pomeranz and Craig Kimbrel.
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May 3, 2017
