Reds and Cubs throw high and in, yell, clear the benches and get ejected, a breakdown

Sep 1, 2020 1.4M views 4:25

What Happened

During a September 1, 2020 doubleheader between the Reds and Cubs, things got chippy after Anthony Rizzo took Trevor Bauer deep twice in game one. In game two, a Cincinnati pitch came up and in near a Cubs hitter's head, the pitcher claimed it slipped, and both benches got warned even though Chicago hadn't done anything. After more barking, Cubs catching coach got tossed, then later Angel Hernandez ejected Joey Votto, Jesse Winker, and Reds manager David Bell in rapid succession. The benches cleared, with Votto telling Rizzo to stop chirping Bell while everyone insisted no one wanted to fight.

Why This Matters

Bench-clearing dustups during the 60-game 2020 sprint carried extra weight because MLB's pandemic protocols specifically banned fighting and crowding, with the threat of suspensions hanging over anyone who escalated. That tension is why you keep hearing both sides repeat 'we don't want to fight, we just stick up for our guys.' The warning-both-benches mechanic is the flashpoint here: once umpires issue it, pitchers lose the inside corner, so the Cubs felt punished for nothing. Hernandez tossing three people in one sequence, including a manager who only came out to argue, is the kind of quick trigger that fuels his reputation. For Rizzo and a Cubs club that won the NL Central that year, this was an early-September emotional spike in a shortened season where every game counted double.

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Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Trevor Bauer, Anthony Rizzo. Teams: Cubs, Reds.

Key Terms Mentioned

Full Transcript

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the reds and cubs benches emptied strap

in because this one's a doozy and it's

brought to you by draftkings in game one

of the double header

rizzo takes bauer deep then he takes him