Josh Donaldson & Joe Musgrove look at each other, a breakdown

In the bottom of the first inning of a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates, Braves designated hitter Josh Donaldson steps up to the plate with a runner on third base and two outs. Pittsburgh starting pitcher Joe Musgrove attempts to open up Donaldson with an inside fastball, but the pitch clips Donaldson's jersey. Donaldson responds with a look that appears to convey his frustration at Musgrove wasting a pitch with the runner in scoring position. Musgrove looks back at Donaldson, seemingly confused by the exchange. "What are you looking at?" Musgrove asks. Donaldson replies, "What the fuck are you looking at?" Benches clear as tempers flare, with umpire Ángel Hernández and the players' teammates stepping in to separate the two. Musgrove says, "Let me take off my hat, this is gonna get serious," while Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and others try to pull Donaldson away from the confrontation. Clint Hurdle, the Pirates' manager, is informed that Musgrove has been ejected from the game for instigating the incident. Hurdle protests vehemently, arguing that Donaldson was the one who started the altercation by staring Musgrove down. "How the hell can you throw the pitcher out?" Hurdle says. "It's not what we want to do, oh come on, you're the one that made the decision." Donaldson's teammates appear to be either skeptical or avoiding eye contact with him, as if they believe he is responsible for the incident. a baseball analyst, speculates that Donaldson may have intentionally provoked the confrontation to get himself ejected, as his recent offensive numbers have been poor and the team may be better off without him in the game. The ejection of Musgrove, the Pirates' starting pitcher, ultimately hurts the visiting team more than the Braves, as it forces them to turn to their bullpen earlier in the game. This suggests that Donaldson's actions, while controversial, may have been a strategic move to give his team an advantage in the contest.