Enough was enough for A’s slugger Ramon Laureano on Sunday afternoon.
Laureano was hit in the back by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning — the third time he’d been plunked in the three-game series — and began chirping at Astros rookie reliever Humberto Castellanos on his way down the first-base line. Laureano seemed to be telling Castellanos that he needed to snap his hand when throwing the slider, allowing it to break. Castellanos chirped back.
Once Laureano made it to first, he began engaging with the Astros dugout, specifically Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron. When Cintron made a bluff like he was going to leave the dugout, Laureano began sprinting towards Cintron, spiking his batting helmet in the process.
Laureano was met by Astros backup catcher Dustin Garneau outside the dugout before he could make it to Cintron, Garneau taking the right fielder down in an apparent attempt to deescalate. Both benches cleared and the two teams skirmished for more than a minute. Players who were sitting in the seats, observing COVID-19 social-distancing protocols, also rushed onto the field.
Laureano and A’s catcher Austin Allen were ejected. In additional to the standard punishments for fighting, the main parties could be looking at significant suspensions considering the breaking of the COVID-19 protocols.
Oakland batters were hit five times during the series, no Houston hitters were plunked. The A’s won 7-2, their ninth straight victory clinching a series sweep.
