What began as an outstanding pitching performance by Gavin Williams quickly turned into one of the most unusual scenes of the season.
A benches-clearing confrontation between the Cleveland Guardians and Arizona Diamondbacks erupted in the middle of a rain delay Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field.
The tension started in the top of the sixth inning as Williams was in the midst of tossing a perfect game.
The 27-year-old had retired each of the first 15 hitters he faced while striking out 10.
Leading off the inning, controversy ensued when Diamondbacks center fielder Tim Tawa attempted to bunt on an 0-1 pitch.
The attempt went foul, drawing an immediate reaction from Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey, who exchanged words with Tawa behind home plate.
On the next pitch, Tawa lined a single into right field, ending Williams’ perfect-game bid.
A wild pitch followed soon after, and as the rain intensified to the point of forcing a rain delay, the two benches cleared as the grounds crew looked to pull the tarp onto the field.
Before the tarp could fully cover the infield, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt stormed out of the dugout toward the Diamondbacks, prompting both benches and bullpens to empty.
Players and coaches gathered near home plate while the grounds crew awkwardly moved the tarp around the growing scrum.
Heated words were exchanged, but ultimately, no punches were thrown.
This stems from another one of baseball’s apparent “unwritten rules” where some players believe bunting against a pitcher who is throwing a no-hitter or perfect game is poor sportsmanship.
Others might argue that every hitter has the right to hit however they please in an attempt to reach base, particularly in a regular season game that matters for everyone involved.
On July 9, in a game between the Guardians and Minnesota Twins, Royce Lewis also showed bunt before eventually collecting the hit that spoiled another perfect-game attempt — also against Williams.
The game between Arizona and Cleveland subsequently continued, ending in a 5-0 Guardians win.
As it turns out, Tawa had just one of two hits produced by the Diamondbacks on the day.
