It was another thrilling week of baseball as the first month of the young season has ended. Byron Buxton seems to be the 5-tool player that the Twins envisioned, as he has been arguably the best player in the American League (besides Mike Trout).
After a disappointing split with the Orioles, the Yankees got the job done by sweeping the Tigers. They did so with the home run-crushing power of their juggernaut Aaron Judge, who immediately stepped up after Yankees fans somehow had the audacity to call him soft after sitting out with an injury in the Baltimore series (not complaining, I’m an Orioles fan).
The MLB’s crazy person Amir Garrett, who started a wild brawl two years ago by charging an entire dugout, almost did it again after striking out Anthony Rizzo. Thankfully no punches were thrown, even though Javier Baez really wanted to get Garrett.
There was plenty more drama and tension this week also. Unfortunately, all involving my favorite National League team the Philadelphia Phillies.
Harper and Gregorius injured by HBPs
Tempers flared after Cardinals rookie pitcher Genesis Cabrera unintentionally hit Phillies slugger Bryce Harper in the face with a 97 mph fastball. The very next pitch, he drilled Didi Gregorius in the spine. Both players would have to leave the game with injury.
Phillies Manager Joe Girardi was ejected and yelled at Cabrera.
The next day Phillies pitcher Hector Neris responded by hitting superstar Nolan Arenado in the back. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt argued with the umpires and was ejected from the game.
The game continued without any other incident and the teams split the series 2-2.
Mets-Phillies Rivalry is Heating Up
The Mets and Phillies had a wild three games of baseball that included a bench-clearing incident, a bad call, and arguably one of the most infamous overturned home run calls in MLB history.
Game 1: Benches Clear
In the eighth-inning of the first game of the series, Phillies pitcher Jose Alvarado and Mets first baseman Dominic Smith got into an altercation. Alvarado struck Smith out and then proceeded to taunt him. The highlight of the fight was the hilariously dramatic way in which Alvarado dropped his glove as if he wanted to fight. No punches were thrown, but Alvarado was ejected from the game. The Phillies won the game 2-1.
Game 2: Bad Call at Second, Harper gets Mad
The Phillies were at the bad end of a strangely terrible call by the umpires. In a routine grounder, Andrew McCutchen was called out at second for running outside of the basepath, and the batter who hit the grounder Matt Joyce was called safe at first base after the Mets tried to turn the double play.
After review, it was revealed that McCutchen never ran outside of the basepath and that Matt Joyce was out at first base. However, according to the rules, the umpires can not overturn an out where the player runs outside of the basepath, but they can overturn a routine groundout. As a result, they overturned the Joyce call and the Mets received the double play.
Bryce Harper, who was yelling at the umpires from the dugout after the call, was ejected from the game. The Mets won the game 5-4 in a 9th inning Michael Conforto home run.
Game 3: The Home Run that wasn’t a Home Run, Hoskins Rages
There was yet another call at the expense of the Phillies. The Mets were leading 8-5, when Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins seemed to hit a clutch game-tying, three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning. The ball hit the fence and the umpires ruled it a home run.
However, the replay showed that the ball was less than a millimeter away from a home run, as it did not reach the top of the railing on the fence, but rather the tip. The umpires overturned the call to a two-run double instead of a three-run home run, and Hoskins was seen cursing at them from the dugout. The Phillies lost the game and ultimately the series.
The Craftsports 
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