After a bench-clearing hit-by-pitch incident, Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez may face disciplinary action.
With the Detroit Tigers trailing the Boston Red Sox 10-2 and with two home runs launched off his pitches, lefty Framber Valdez made things worse, to the point where his own manager wasn’t ready to defend him. Valdez hit Trevor Story with a pitch after back-to-back homers in the fourth on Tuesday, leading to the benches clearing and criticism from both managers following the Tigers’ 10-3 loss.
After Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu hit back-to-back homers to put the Red Sox up 10-2, Valdez then hit Story with a 94 mph fastball on the very next pitch. Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler and plate umpire Adam Beck got up and stood between Story and Valdez as the benches then began to clear. Importantly, there were no punches thrown. Valdez was ejected by third base umpire Dan Iassogna, finishing with 10 runs, and seven earned.
Valdez insisted it wasn’t intentional, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch wasn’t quick to immediately defend, saying that while he wouldn’t judge the intent, “it didn’t feel good being out there.” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy certainly agreed, calling it “weak.” Valdez maintains that he was trying to throw strikes and that it wasn’t a deliberate HBP.
To read more about Valdez’s ugly night, here is the full story from Tigers Roundtable writer Roger Castillo.
There’s now a risk of suspension, which would be a blow to a Detroit rotation already missing Tarik Skubal, Case Mize, and Justin Verlander due to injuries. For Boston, it was a moment to come together amid a rough season start. They took the victory, but for the Tigers, the ramifications could linger past Tuesday night.