Braves And Brewers First Inning Brawl Could Lead To Suspensions
The Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers got into an epic first inning brawl Wednesday night.
The Braves lost the game 4-0, but that’s not what anyone is talking about. Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez hit a home run that he was so satisfied with, he took a slower than normal trot around the bases.
Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman took exception to Gomez and yelled at him as he rounded first base. Then, as Gomez rounded third to head home, he found the plate blocked by Brian McCann. The pair got into a shouting match, the benches cleared, and punches were thrown.
For the playoff bound Braves, the first inning brawl could not have come at a worse time. There are four games left in the regular season, and if anyone is suspended, that punishment is sure to carry over into October.
The first inning brawl won’t effect the Milwaukee Brewers nearly as much, if at all. The team won’t be making the postseason and is already looking ahead to next season.
Freddie Freeman was ejected for throwing punches, although teammates claim the umpires were just picking on the biggest man they could find. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, “They told me he was throwing punches. I haven’t seen the video. Some of the guys who have seen the video say he wasn’t throwing any punches. Anyway, it was just a weird start of a game. There were a lot of guys on both sides who were surprised the way that whole thing went down.”
Here is the video to judge for yourself:
http://youtu.be/VMGwh5I6Ogg
For his part in the first inning brawl, Carlos Gomez apologized and took full responsibility for his actions, saying, “I did a little bit more [than I should have], and I apologize for this.” He said he was miffed at being thrown at in a game from June and took the opportunity to get revenge. Later he posted a series of tweets:
I would like to apologize first to the fans, MLB, my teammates and the Brewers organization as well as the Braves organization.
— Carlos Gomez (@C_Gomez27) September 26, 2013
The way I carried myself on the field is unacceptable, I should have done better to control myself and set a good example.
— Carlos Gomez (@C_Gomez27) September 26, 2013
In the heat of the moment I let my emotions get the best of me. As a professional athlete I have to respect the game.
— Carlos Gomez (@C_Gomez27) September 26, 2013
I should have not let the situation escalate. I would like to put this behind and do what I love, and that is play baseball at 110%.
— Carlos Gomez (@C_Gomez27) September 26, 2013
Again my apologies to everyone that I may have offended I truly regret it. Thank you and have a good night God Bless. #CG27
— Carlos Gomez (@C_Gomez27) September 26, 2013
Now all we can do is wait and see if the first inning brawl gets anyone suspended. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCan get suspended at the least for blocking home plate, and in essence starting the entire fight.
What do you think should happen as a result of the fight?
[image via Wikimedia Commons]
