Jared Hughes' Pitch Started It All: Ejections, Suspensions During Pirates Vs. Reds Brawl

Pittsburgh Pirates versus Cincinnati Reds part two: that was how observers described the massive brawl on Tuesday at the Great American Ball Park in downtown in Cincinnati. Jared Hughes' itinerant pitch ignited the wick that started a bench-clearing commotion that involved one of the majors' most storied rivalries.

Hughes, a former Pirate, hit Starling Marte with his first pitch at the ninth inning. Tempers were already flaring, but both benches were warned before the bustle, Reds coach Freddie Benavides, and Hughes were ejected. In the ensuing moments later, Garret entered the field, and during the inning, said a couple of expletives at starter Trevor Williams, who was in the dugout.

It was there that Garrett lost composure and ran towards the Pirates huddle, wildly swinging as approaching players from both teams started to clear the benches. Amir said that he was upset with the up-and-in pitch to Derek Dietrich.

In the ensuing uproar, an outraged David Bell ran back into the field and supplanted Clint Hurdle to the ground. The Reds manager was restrained by Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein in a headlock while Bell continued to berate Hurdle as he left the field.

The manager later said that "It's a shame that this is allowed and that they're able to get away with it." Bell was critical of the up-and-in pitch; he added that the Pirates "celebrate it, they support it, they allow it, it's dangerous."

In his defense, Hughes said that the "ball just slipped." Adding that the incident was regrettable and "a lot of bad things happened afterward." Four Pirates were ejected from the field, Trevor Williams, Chris Archer, Kyle Crick and Francisco Cervelli, who was listed with an injury.

For the Reds, Amir Garrett will be handed down with a hefty punishment after starting the brawl. Clint Bell will also be suspended after going back to the field after he was earlier rejected in the game. Yasiel Puig, who was traded before the July 31 deadline to Cleveland was also ejected during the altercation.

In the end, Pittsburgh concluded a nine-game losing streak with a win, behind trade candidate Corey Dickerson. He was able to drive in a career-high, with five runs, two of which were homers. Joe Musgrove also had a career night after finishing with six innings and gave up solo home runs by Joey Votto and Jose Iglesias. Both teams will conclude their series on Wednesday.