The Major League Baseball 2021 regular season is only on its third day, but tempers broke out between the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night, resulting in the first bank elimination disorder of the year. This incident occurred during the end of the fourth round and resulted in the expulsion of Reds’ outfielder, Nicholas Castellanos.
With bases full of Reds and two eliminations in the inning, Cardinals pitcher Jake Woodford unleashed a wild pitch that caused him and base runner Nicholas Castellanos to fight for the plate. The pair met on the board, with Castellanos sliding under the Woodford mark to give the Reds a 7-2 lead. That was when good manners and sportsmanship left the park.
Before we get to the fireworks, it is important to provide some context here. Castellanos had originally arrived at the base after being hit by Woodford’s first-ball quick shot. After being hit, Castellanos seemed to be having a long conversation with catcher Yadier Molina. He then picked up the baseball and, after saying a few words to Woodford, threw it on the Reds’ bench.
Now, back to the event that started it all: once Castellanos was called safe, he appeared and posed over Woodford, flexing his arms the way someone would in a bodybuilding competition. Predictably, Woodford and Molina opposed Castellanos’ gesture and chased him on his way to the reserve bench. The banks and bullpens then emptied and gathered around the home plate.
Eventually, the scrimmage line shifted to the outside field, with Cardinals outfielder Justin Williams and reliever Jordan Hicks having lively conversations with an unidentifiable Reds player. Castellanos’ neatly combed hair, in turn, remained perfectly in place throughout the episode. Castellanos returned to the field and talked to Molina without any visible histrionics before the referees resolved everything and considered him the only player whose actions deserved to be removed.
This is not the first time that the reds and cardinals have grown tired of each other. Their shared story includes an incident in 2010 spurred on by Molina and the then second baseman of the Reds, Brandon Phillips.