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Last night Tim Anderson of the White Sox hit a home run against the Kansas City Royals followed by flipping his bat in the direction of his own dugout. See the video below.
I take your bat flip and raise you a bat TOSS. Cocky. Awesome.
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) April 17, 2019
(via @Cut4)pic.twitter.com/DkVORS4dXR
In his next at bat, the Kansas City Royals pitcher hit Anderson with his first pitch squarely in the hip. This led to the following.
Benches clear in Royals-White Sox after Brad Keller hits Tim Anderson in the 6th inning. pic.twitter.com/u9IhZ56AvP
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2019
Umpire Joe West eventually ejected Royals pitcher Brad Keller.
Questions:
Did Tim Anderson break one of baseball’s unwritten rules with his bat toss?
Was Brad Keller justified in exacting retribution in the form of hitting the batter with a pitch?
Who is most to blame for the ensuing fracas?
Is this type of thing an inevitable result of ”bat flipping” and if so is that sufficient reason to discourage it?
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