New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter had a heated exchange that forced them to be restrained to prevent a physical altercation. The argument began after Girardi accused the Orioles of sign-stealing, the NY Daily News reports.
The angry exchange between the two managers even featured Showalter making a throat-cutting gesture toward Girardi. The argument peaked between the first and second inning when Girardi yelled at Orioles third-base coach Bobby Dickerson, who Girardi accused of tipping off batters to where CC Sabathia planned to throw his next pitch.
"Immediately, like right when I got to third base," Dickerson said after the game, via ESPN. "I didn't hear him at first. I heard something and as I looked at the dugout, he was right there yelling at me from the far end. And I was running off the field, something else was said."
Showalter didn't like Girardi admonishing one of his coaches. The O's manager stormed out of the dugout and toward the Yankees' dugout. Girardi, just as angry, started toward Showalter.
Umpires separated the pair, and both teams flocked onto the field.
The two continued to jaw at each other, with Showalter yelling, "That's not right," and "Talk to me, Joe, not him."
"He was yelling at the third base coach," Showalter said, according to The News. "Somebody's wearing black and orange, I'm not going to let that happen."
The umpires issued warnings to both teams. After the game, Showalter denied that his team was stealing signs. Girardi declined to say what set him off.
"The one thing that I've done, the whole time that I'm here, and everywhere I've been, is I'm going to protect our players at all lengths," Girardi said after the game, via ESPN. "That's what I'm going to do, and there was something that I saw and I'm just going to leave it at that."
The Orioles went on to win the game, 4-2.
