Benches cleared in Detroit Friday night after Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Angels shortstop Zach Neto exchanged words following a strikeout.
The tension started in the first inning when Neto launched Skubal’s first pitch of the game for a home run – his first career leadoff blast. Neto took his time admiring the shot, something Skubal clearly remembered when he struck out the shortstop later in the game.
After the strikeout, Neto appeared to say, “You got me once,” with Skubal responding, “Yeah, I got you.” That brief exchange was enough to empty both dugouts, though no punches were thrown and no ejections followed.
It’s been a frustrating stretch for the Angels, who entered the game riding a six-game losing streak. The team’s struggles at the plate have been particularly evident during this skid.
“I think teams go through stretches,” Angels GM Perry Minasian told The Athletic before the game. “Teams go through stretches where they don’t swing the bat well. When you don’t swing the bat, you’re gonna have some numbers that aren’t flashy, right? But you can pick a six-game stretch, 10-game stretch, from anybody and point to certain times where, man, they’re really struggling, and offensively they haven’t scored.”
The brief flare-up might be exactly what the Angels need to snap out of their funk. As for Neto, the 23-year-old is building on his impressive rookie campaign where he posted 5.1 WAR. He’s already notched four homers this season and is establishing himself as one of the game’s premier shortstops – with a bit of flair to match his talent, as Skubal discovered firsthand.
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