Phillies manager Rob Thomson called out the Diamondbacks and Torey Lovullo for their role in starting a benches-clearing conflict on Monday night.
Torey Lovullo was upset with the Phillies for hitting Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll in consecutive at-bats in the first and third innings. Lovullo, who admitted after the game that he didn't feel the HBPs were intentional, was just standing up for his players.
Lovullo was promptly ejected, which started some benches-clearing drama in which no punches were thrown.
"This was me protecting our player and him (Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto) protecting his pitcher," Lovullo told reporters postgame. "I do not want to talk about what was said. … I knew going out there that I had no right to go out there. The umpire said to me, 'I am going to eject you if you do not leave right now.' I said, 'Well I am not leaving.' And I was thrown out."
Lovullo went on to say he expects a forthcoming suspension.
"I am sure that (a suspension) will happen," Lovullo said. "Yes, I am prepared for that tomorrow."
Phillies: Rob Thomson calls out Diamondbacks
In what seemed like an odd conflict to begin with, Thomson felt it was entirely unnecessary.
While Lovullo claimed to have the utmost respect for Realmuto, who hit for the cycle on Monday, he still managed to shed a negative light on the Phillies for hitting Carroll repeatedly.
"No way where we trying to hit him and put one of the fastest guys in baseball on base,'' Thomson said. "That's not me. That's not our club.''
Realmuto, who felt his cycle was overshadowed by the drama, said there was no intent on the Phillies side to plunk Carroll.
"It was not on purpose. We're trying to get him out. That's all that's happening here. We have no history with him. There's no reason for us to throw at him. We're trying to win a baseball game. It's unforutante he got hit the first time, but it wasn't going to change how we pitched him the second time," Realmuto said.
Pitching inside sometimes come with consequences. For the Phillies, it was overshadowing Realmuto's moment.
