The benches cleared, and both the Astros and Mariners nearly came to blows last night in Seattle. Why? Well, according to one Mariners player, the trouble started over a gay slur.
Astros reliever vector Neris struck out Mariners star Julio Rodriguez in the 6th inning of an important game before an all-important playoff run. However, after Neris struck Rodgriguez out, he didn’t just walk off the mound and collect himself like pitchers usually do. No, instead, he charged at Rodriguez and began shouting at him.
According to Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, that shouting tirade in Spanish included a “gay slur.”
Neris struck out JRod and then started yelling at him. Benches cleared. pic.twitter.com/Z4qZDjS850
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) September 28, 2023
“He started talking bad words in Spanish,” Suarez told Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude. “He started doing something that is not good for people who speak Spanish and understand. I was in the on-deck circle, and I heard that. That pissed me off.”
The field filled quickly as both teams rushed out to confront each other.
Oddly, after the game, Neris called Rodriguez his “friend.”
Rodriguez did not comment after the game, so we don’t know if he views Neris in that same friendly light.
The Astros won the game 8-3.