The benches for both teams cleared and several punches were thrown. While the melee in the middle of the crowd couldn’t be seen by the cameras, some other fights between players soon broke out. At one point, a Mexican player was on his back as a Canadian began pummeling him with blows.
Team Canada, winning the game 10-3, was clearly upset about Leon’s pitching, due to several inside pitches he threw to Tosoni before he plunked him. The ump gave Leon a warning before the fight-instigating pitch.
Several fans were also ejected from the game taking place in Phoenix, as Yahoo Sports notes, including one who later threw a foul ball back on the field that nearly struck Canada’s first base coach Larry Walker.
There’s a point you got to stand up for yourself,” said Canadian designated hitter Justin Morneau. “We got hit for playing the game, and that happens, but at the same time you got to stand up for yourself. You can’t just get pushed around.”
Mexico manager Rick Renteria called the fight a misunderstanding and “took blame for not making clear to his players what could happen if a team was trying to make up for lost runs at the tournament, as media reports noted.
“I think when you get into the heat of the battle of playing the game, a lot of these guys are used to playing in their respective leagues or clubs, and when that happens in that moment, (Leon) just lost sight of it. That’s all,” said Renteria.
The fight is under review by World Baseball Classic International’s tech committee,
