“What Runelvys Hernandez did is not acceptable” - When Ivan Rodriguez opened up on the Tigers vs Royals fight that had five players ejected
Ivan Rodriguez, better known as "Pudge," is one of the greatest catchers in MLB history. The Texas Rangers legend has gone down in baseball history as one of the best hitters at the positon, earning an MVP Award and a whopping 14 All-Star selections throughout his Hall of Fame career.
Even though Ivan Rodriguez remains a beloved figure in the baseball community, during his playing days, he was no stranger to a few dust-ups. One such incident came during a 5-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals when Rodriguez was a member of the Detroit Tigers.
During the heated matchup, Kansas City starter Runelvys Hernandez triggered a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams after hitting Tigers All-Star Carlos Guillen in the head with a pitch. While hitting a player in the head is a major no-no, the fact that it was the third batter that he'd plunked only made matters worse. This led to Ivan Rodriguez and the Tigers storming to the aid of their star.
"What he did is not acceptable. A pitcher cannot throw at a player’s head. It’s not a good thing to do," Rodriguez said after the game.
Guillen and Hernandez barked and charged at one another, resulting in both benches clearing. Luckily for both players, they were held back by their own teams, with neither Hernandez or Guillen getting a piece of the other one.
Once the dust settled and the players returned to their respective dugouts and bullpens, six players were ejected from the game.
Runelvys Hernandez, Emil Brown, Alberto Castillo, and Royals manager Buddy Bell were ejected for Kansas City, while Carlos Guillen, Kyle Farnsworth and Jeremy Bonderman were tossed from the game for the Tigers.
Ivan Rodriguez would find himself in hot water only a few weeks after the brawl with the Royals
Although Ivan Rodriguez was not ejected during the brawl between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals, he would find himself on the wrong side of matter one month later.
On July 30, 2005, the Hall of Fame catcher was kicked out of a game against the Oakland Athletics for an argument with an umpire about balls and strike calls.
A furious Rodriguez came chest to chest with the umpire, leading to his ejection from the ball game. As he made his way off the field, Rodriguez tossed his mask in frustration. In the dugout, he tossed a bag of balls as he made his way out. As a result of the incident, the veteran received a four-game suspension.