CHICAGO (AP)– The Kansas City Royals stayed in their fighting mood. They also stayed in their winning mood.
A benches-clearing fight led to five ejections several innings before Eric Hosmer hit the go-ahead double in the 13th to lead the Royals to a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.
With two outs, Hosmer’s hit off Chicago’s Jake Petricka (0-1) brought in Jarrod Dyson. Wade Davis then pitched a scoreless 13th for his fourth save, giving Franklin Morales (2-0) the victory.
That gave Kansas City a win for the fourth time in five games, during a night that tempers flared.
“With two or three scrums going on you’re always worried about somebody getting hurt,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I found myself at the bottom of one of those piles. It’s not fun being down there.”
He got to the bottom of a pile after what looked like a routine play.
In the seventh, Yordano Ventura snagged a grounder from Chicago outfielder Adam Eaton and they appeared to exchange words before Ventura threw to first to end the inning. Eaton had to be restrained from Ventura, who was ejected from a second straight start.
Players from both dugouts and bullpens ran onto the field and punches were thrown during a fight that lasted a couple of minutes.
“It was a messy situation,” Ventura said through a translator.
Chicago pitcher Jeff Samardzija was one of five ejected, and his actions didn’t gain the Royals’ approval.
“For me, I’m not a big fan. I’m not a big fan of him,” said Lorenzo Cain, who was tossed. “I don’t know what the deal is.”
The play was the culmination of tensions that seemed to rise during the game and carry over from their season-opening series earlier this month when the teams combined to hit six batters. In the bottom of the fourth, Ventura hit Jose Abreu. In the top of the fifth, Chris Sale hit Mike Moustakas.
Ventura was thrown out after the fight. On Saturday, after he allowed a three-run homer to the Athletics’ Josh Reddick, he hit Brett Lawrie and was ejected.
The four others tossed Thursday were Cain and pitcher Edinson Volquez for Kansas City, along with Chicago’s Sale and Samardzija.
“This game’s emotional and it seems to follow them around. It’s happened often enough,” Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. “Everybody gets emotional and reacts to things, and that’s what happened.”
For Yordano Ventura, it was his fourth consecutive start that ended abruptly. Besides the ejections, on opening day against the White Sox he left with a thumb cramp. He was replaced April 12 against the Los Angeles Angels because of a right calf cramp.
Ventura said he “recognizes that some of his actions are not putting himself in a favorable light, as well as the team.”
Kansas City has been in a fighting mood for a week now, something Chicago knows.
“They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten and now they want to keep it. You don’t expect anything less,” Eaton said. “With the other beef with other teams, I’m not sure. I’ve heard some things.”
In that three-game series against Oakland last weekend, the Royals and A’s cleared their benches each day. Nearly as many people were hit by pitches as hit home runs. And five players and coaches were ultimately thrown out of the finale Sunday, when things boiled over.
Yost doesn’t want what happened Thursday to carry over.
“Hopefully it’s all behind us and we can move forward,” he said.
Before the fight, Ventura pitched seven innings and allowed two runs while striking out eight. Sale only gave up two first-inning runs and lasted seven innings and allowed nine hits.
