“If I wanted to put someone in the hospital I easily could” - New York Mets first baseman has strong words after getting tackled by St. Louis Cardinals first base coach
"I'm a big, strong guy. They don't know my temper. They don't know what I could do."
Above were the words of New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso during a postgame interview following Wednesday's heated matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals. In case you missed it, the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals cleared their benches and bullpens in the eighth inning of the April 27 game for a heated brawl surrounding home plate. The cause? A high, inside fastball on Nolan Arenado from Mets reliever Yoan Lopez. It didn't hit Arenado, but it was enough to spark the already-heated tempers of these two clubs into action.
"The benches have cleared after Yoan López threw up and in at Nolan Arenado." - @ SNY
As can be seen in the clip above, Pete Alonso was right in the middle of it. Cardinals first base coach Genesis Cabrera pulled him to the ground from behind and a wrestling match ensued. Pete Alonso had some words for him after the game.
New York Mets Pete Alonso had some strong words for the St. Louis Cardinals after Wednesday's brawl
When media asked Alonso what was going through his mind during the fight, the 27-year-old made it obvious that he had a lot of anger and frustration over the way the brawl panned out.
"I got pulled from behind. Actually, [the St. Louis Cardinals first base coach] grabbed me by the back of the collar and then he just ripped down. And then the coach just kind of jumped on me and I thought that was kind of cheap, going from behind."
Alonso had no respect for Cabrera's sneak attack.
"'If I wanted to put someone in the hospital I easily could.' - Pete Alonso" - @ Roundin' Third
The New York Mets slugger went on to say that the St. Louis Cardinals first base coach should've faced him "like a man."
"If you wanna hold me back, if you wanna restrain me, go at me like a man."
Alonso went on to respond to questions about the St. Louis Cardinals skipper's response to his first base coach tackling him from behind. Alonso admitted that he understood why Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol supported his first base coach's actions.
I totally understand because I'm a big, strong guy... Obviously, the [St. Louis Cardinals] manager wants to have protection for his team and his staff and I totally get it."
"And for me---I'm a big, strong guy. They don't know my temper. They don't know what I could do. I mean, if I wanted to put someone in the hospital, I easily could."
Alonso concluded by stating that, in the end, he was just trying to protect his teammates from getting hurt during the brawl.
"I was just out there trying to protect my guys."
In the end, Alonso's restraint from retaliation was probably wise. He may have saved himself from a hefty suspension.