When Corey Seager singled in the eighth inning to put the go-ahead run on base, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo called on closer Archie Bradley. The appearance was Bradley’s first against the Los Angeles Dodgers he converted a save and incited a benches-clearing incident after the Aug. 9 game at Dodger Stadium went final.
On Friday night, Bradley struck out Chris Taylor and retired Kiké Hernandez to end the inning. He returned to the mound in the ninth with a 5-4 because of Yimi Garcia’s balk in the bottom of the eighth. Bradley began the inning by hitting Russell Martin with a pitch.
In a move that could have been interpreted with some intent and malice behind it, Martin picked up the baseball and threw it back to Bradley. The fiery closer didn’t have much of a reaction and went on to convert the save after allowing a two-out single.
Martin later shrugged off being hit by the fastball and explained why he didn’t see any issue with throwing the ball to Bradley, as seen on SportsNet LA
“Well the ball didn’t hurt the dirt, there was no scuff on it, so I just threw it back. It’s not a heavy fastball, it’s a light fastball. It’s a light 96 (mph), so I just threw it back to him.”
Bradley’s exchanging of words with the Dodgers last month began with A.J. Pollock. However, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner and Martin were at the front of the group when the Dodgers’ bench emptied onto the field. Martin was seen shouting in the direction of multiple Diamondbacks players.
It was the second time Bradley instigated a dust-up, as he and Rich Hill yelled at one another during a September 2016 game at Chase Field. Bradley additionally has made candid remarks about the Dodgers and their fans.
He of course is remembered in L.A. for surrendering a go-ahead home run to Matt Kemp and a walk-off double the following afternoon. That further propelled the Dodgers on their climb back to the top of the National League West standings and eventual sixth consecutive division title.
