Meanwhile, in the Wide World of Sports...

Source for text: Washington Post

A Venezuelan winter league baseball game that featured flaring tempers and ejections spiraled out of control in the eighth inning Wednesday when a former MLB player, incensed after being struck by a pitch, turned on the catcher and hit him with his bat.

Alex Romero, a former MLB outfielder playing for Aguilas del Zulia, hit Gabriel Lino twice with his bat in the game against Caribes de Anzoategui and the benches for both teams immediately emptied, with players punching and kicking each other as fighting nearly carried into the stands. Caribes pitcher Angel Nesbitt, along with teammates Lino, shortstop Cesar Valera and catcher Willians Astudillo, were ejected, as was Aguilas’s Romero. With the ejection of Astudillo, who plays for the Minnesota Twins, Caribes had no catchers and team captain Niuman Romero caught the rest of the game.

The brawl came after three players and Caribes Manager Jackson Melian had gotten the heave-ho the previous inning. After Niuman Romero and Alexi Amarista hit back-to-back home runs for Caribes, Cesar Valera was hit by a pitch and the benches cleared. Order was restored, or so it appeared, until the next inning.