At the end of the seventh inning in Saturday’s Blue Jays-Rays game, there was a moment of tension when Toronto’s pitcher Génesis Cabrera and Tampa Bay’s shortstop José Caballero got into a verbal spat and Cabrera pushed Caballero.
The situation escalated after Caballero hit a bunt single and ran towards third base, but got tagged out by Bichette. Cabrera, who was near third base, confronted Caballero and pushed him. This led to both teams’ benches emptying, although no punches were thrown.
Caballero explained, “I was slowing down as I was already out, but Cabrera came and pushed me. I asked him why, but he didn’t respond.”
Earlier in the game, there was also a celebratory moment when Randy Arozarena kissed his bat after hitting a solo home run and then signed autographs for fans, adding to the tension.
Cabrera was ejected from the game, but later reflected, “It was just the heat of the moment. We all reacted, but it’s over now.”
Both managers praised how the situation was handled, with Kevin Cash commending Caballero for not escalating the conflict, and John Schneider agreeing that it was resolved well by all parties involved.
