MLB Rumors: Pittsburgh Pirates' Tony Watson Hits Cub's Jake Arrieta; Sean Rodriguez Loses Temper, Punches Beverage Cooler

By Jomar Endriga
Sean Rodriguez issues apology to a cooler he repeatedly punched during the Pirates' wild card game against the Cubs.
Sean Rodriguez issues apology to a cooler he repeatedly punched during the Pirates' wild card game against the Cubs.  Flickr.com/keithallison

During Wednesday's NL wild card game, tension was high between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. It reached a climax during the seventh inning when Pirates pitcher Tony Watson threw a fastball while Jake Arrieta was at the plate, hitting the latter on the left hip.

The Cubs pitcher then made his way down to first. He stared at his Pirates counterpart and voice out his dissatisfaction with the pitcher's decision. The confrontation led players from both teams to emerge from their benches and engage in a massive brawl.

Although no punches were hurled at anyone, Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler was heard shouting during the commotion while the Pirates' Sean Rodriguez was reportedly held back by three teammates, according to Yahoo Sports.

The scuffle was said to have started when Arrieta hit two Pirates earlier on. He hit catcher Francisco Cervelli's hand with a pitch in the hand during the fifth inning as well as third baseman Josh Harrison with a stray slider in the next inning. However, both hits do not appear to be intentional. The Cubs pitcher had not allowed a run in the game, restraining the Pirates' bats.

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Tony Watson then drilled the Chicago Cubs ace on the left side with a fastball during the seventh inning, a move that many believed to be in retaliation to Arrieta's actions. Watson was issued a warning because of the move.  

Utility player Sean Rodriguez was the only player to be ejected from the wild card game. He was apparently frustrated about the whole thing and took out his anger on a Gatorade cooler in the dugout once his teammates led him away from the skirmish.

A short clip of Rodriguez repeatedly punching the cooler was posted on a video-sharing site called Vine and has since become viral since Wednesday night. In the video, the Pirates utility was recorded releasing one-two punch combinations to the unsuspecting cooling and eventually knocked it down to the ground.

However, being a devout Christian, the 30-year-old Rodriguez has tweeted a humorous apology on Thursday. He shared a photo of a couple of verses from the Bible and said "I want to apologize for allowing my emotions to control my actions in a negative manner. I also spoke to the cooler, apologized personally, and he's forgiven me as Christ forgives all."

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