There was no love lost among players in Wednesday night’s NL Wild Card Game between the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
The Cubs shut out the Pirates 4-0 behind a dominant, complete-game-outing from Jake Arrieta, and it’s clear players on the home team were frustrated.
It was no accident when Pirates reliever Tony Watson plunked Arrieta in the seventh inning, and that didn’t sit well among the rest of Arrieta’s teammates.
The Cubs came out of the dugout to support their ace, and that’s when a brawl erupted.
It looked as if only one punch was thrown, and it was a poorly-executed one from Sean Rodriguez. He also punched a water cooler afterwards, multiple times, which was a pretty dumb thing to do. Water coolers don’t fight back!
In the end, the Cubs got the last laugh, as they advanced to play the Cardinals in the NL Divisional Series on Friday night. But for now, they’re celebrating (along with their fans).