The Reds and Pirates open a three-game series in Pittsburgh Friday and given their history this season, there is definitely potential for mayhem.
The two teams have played 12 games this year, and the numbers are ugly: Nine hit batters, 15 ejections, and a couple of major benches-clearing incidents, most recently on July 30. That skirmish, which led to eight of those ejections, saw Reds manager David Bell, who had already been ejected, leave the Reds clubhouse to join the fray.
Yet despite the bad blood between the two teams, MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre told Fox Sports Ohio Tuesday he won't issue any warnings to the two teams ahead of their series.
Umpires, however, will be put on alert.
"We will talk to both managers. I will personally," Torre said (via Cincinnati.com) The umpires will be made aware of the history of what's happened between these two clubs.
"Basically, let's play baseball. Let's play baseball. The one thing I never want to have happen … is the fact that the priority is to get even as opposed to trying to win a ballgame. And I just remind managers of this: The umpires are going to be aware, but really I'm not one that would like to issue warnings before the series starts. Because it's tough enough playing the game, and to play it on thin ice I don't think it's the right thing to do.
"So we'll see what happens. And again I'll trust that we can make sense to both clubs and again have the umpires be aware of what's happened in the past."
Despite Torre's claim the teams have not been warned, longtime Reds radio play-by-play man Marty Brennaman noted during Tuesday night's Reds-Padres broadcast he has been told both the Reds and Pirates have been warned that, "penalties will be imposed against managers 'like nothing you've ever seen before.'"
The July 30 skirmish between the two teams wasn't the first big brawl between them this season. On April 7, benches cleared after Pirates starter Chris Archer threw a pitch behind Derek Dietrich after the Reds second baseman had paused to admire a home run in his previous at-bat.
Reds & Pirates brawl today after Archer threw behind Dietrich because he pimped a dinger to right. Puig was pisssssssed & throwing hands. David Bell, Puig, Amir Garrett, Keone Kela, & Felipe Vasquez were tossed. OOF. #mlb #baseball #sports #thesqueeze #thesqueezebaseballpodcast pic.twitter.com/1eKCX4Q3GI
— The Squeeze (@thesqueezeshow) April 8, 2019