LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ian Kennedy hit Yasiel
Puig and Zack Greinke with high pitches, sparking a heated brawl that
involved players and coaches and resulted in six ejections in a game in
which the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks
5-3 Tuesday night.
Kennedy, Diamondbacks manager Kirk
Gibson and coach Turner Ward, along with Puig, reliever Ronald Belisario
and Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire were ejected in the seventh
inning after the prolonged scuffle that nearly spilled into the stands.
In the top of the seventh, Greinke hit
Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero in the back and both teams came
charging onto the field, but the scrum broke up quickly with no punches
thrown.
That was payback for Kennedy hitting Puig in bottom of the sixth -- the ball deflected off Puig's shoulder clipped his nose.
Kennedy then hit Greinke in the upper
left shoulder -- the ball then deflected off his helmet -- with one out
in the seventh and the game tied 2-all. It was the 41st batter Kennedy
has hit since the start of 2010.
Kennedy immediately was tossed and
calmly walked toward the Diamondbacks dugout before players poured onto
the field and relievers ran in from the bullpens.
Belisario began throwing punches and
Puig rushed into the melee. Ward got slammed against a railing and was
put in a headlock by Dodgers left fielder Skip Schumaker, who appeared
to be trying to break up the fight as both teams kept pushing closer to
the stands.
McGwire had Gibson's jersey and windbreaker with both hands and was screaming at him.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly had to be
restrained as he tried to get at Gibson, then they exchanged words
briefly. McGwire and third base coach Matt Williams grabbed each other's
shirts in a tense standoff and shouted at each other.
Montero, still in full catching gear, ended up on the ground next to Ward.
When play resumed, Greinke took his
spot at first base and, made a hard slide into second base when
Schumaker, the next batter, grounded into a fielder's choice.
Greinke had spent more than a month on
the disabled list after breaking his collarbone in a brawl with Carlos
Quentin, when he hit the Padres outfielder with a pitch on April 11.
Tim Federowicz hit a go-ahead three-run double in the eighth inning after David Hernandez (3-2) walked the bases loaded.
After Puig got hit, Andre Ethier followed with a two-run homer off Kennedy that tied the game 2-all.
Willie Bloomquist's RBI single in the eighth gave Arizona a 3-2 lead.
Matt Guerrier (2-2) got the win and Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth to earn his third save.
NOTES:
The Dodgers placed OF Scott Van Slyke on the 15-day DL with left
shoulder bursitis and optioned INF Justin Sellers to Triple-A
Albuquerque. The team recalled OF Alex Castellanos and RHP Chris Withrow
from Albuquerque
