Sports

MLB Rain Delay Devolves Into Chaos As Grounds Crew Prevents Brawl Over Bush League Bunt

by Last Updated

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Gavin Williams leaves the field as a scuffle breaks out between the Guardians and Diamondbacks.


Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams threw five perfect innings of baseball in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. His stat line received its first blemish in the top of the sixth frame.

Tim Tawa smacked an opposite field single in his second at-bat of the contest. His antics during that plate appearance sparked absolute chaos on the field.

Benches cleared in the midst of a downpour. The grounds crew attempted to tarp the field at the start of a rain delay. Bodies were everywhere. The scene was hectic.

A failed bunt attempt ignited a fracas. The Guardians took issue with Tawa’s plate approach. They let him hear about it after he ruined perfection.

Guardians-Diamondbacks game devolved into chaos.

Action was postponed in the top of the sixth frame due to inclement weather. There was a lot going on.

The grounds crew rushed to tarp the infield. One team member got caught in the crossfire.

At the same time the crew began working to protect the playing surface, both benches emptied onto the diamond. The two sides gathered at home plate. Words were exchanged.

Maybe the only thing that prevented the skirmish from exploding was the fact that clay around the batter’s boxes needed to be covered. Grounds team members pushed themselves into the tense meeting behind the plate. They unintentionally de-escalated the situation.

Players dispersed and returned to their respective dugouts after being awkwardly separated by the crew.

Why did benches clear?

Gavin Williams took a perfect game into the top of the sixth inning. Tim Tawa led off the frame for the Diamondbacks. With a 0-1 count, he attempted to bunt for a base hit. Players and fans of the home team didn’t appreciate it.

Boos rained down from the bleachers. Cleveland infielders threw their hands up in disgust. Tawa fouled the pitch off to fall behind 0-2 in the count.

One pitch later, he singled to right field. It broke up the perfect game and no-hit bid.

After the game, Arizona manager Tony Lovullo was asked about the controversial bunt attempt. He says no unwritten rules were broken.

“I’m totally fine with him bunting in the sixth inning of a game. I’ve had this discussion with Steven Vogt before, when he was in our dugout as a player. I play it clean for six [innings]. And you can do basically anything in between the white lines for six innings. And then after that, you gotta be careful.

“It’s either black or white for me. I don’t like gray stuff. So, [Tawa] asked if he could bunt. We all checked off on it, said absolutely. And they clearly took exception to that.”

-Tony Lovullo

Tawa, too, was asked about his decision to bunt, as well as the fracas that followed. He says he saw an opportunity and tried to capitalize. He chalked it up to competition.

The Diamondbacks don’t believe they violated baseball’s unwritten rules. The Guardians clearly do. Gavin Williams’ night ended as a result of the rain delay. Cleveland would go onto win, 5-0, after play resumed.