Yankees, Orioles clear benches, brawl after Kjerstad is hit in the head by pitch

The benches were cleared in the ninth inning of the New York Yankees’ 4-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday after O’s outfielder Heston Kjerstad was hit in the head by a pitch from Yanks reliever Clay Holmes.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was furious after the pitch and began pointing and walking toward the Yankees dugout before being stopped by New York catcher Austin Wells. Both benches, however, emptied as the situation escalated.

Hyde was ejected. Austin Hays replaced Kjerstad after the hit by a pitch. Holmes then retired the next two batters for the save.

On paper, the free throw appeared to be an accident. The second-ranked Yankees, who entered Friday’s game on a 6-17 winning streak, desperately needed a win against the first-ranked Orioles. Holmes was in save position and had made it 0-2. He was also throwing in the rain, which probably didn’t help his grip.

But clearly the Orioles weren’t going to be happy about a member of their team getting hit in the head by a 97 mph pitch. And tension was running high in a competitive game between two teams battling for the American League East.

Given the post-match reactions, Kjerstad’s health is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, there was no immediate update after the match.

Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman offered his best wishes.

Hyde spoke about that moment later.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge did the same:

The Yankees and Orioles will play again in Baltimore on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET.