Mets pitcher ejected for throwing behind Brewers' Rhys Hoskins a day after heated exchange

The grudge match between Rhys Hoskins and the New York Mets continued during Saturday's matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers. Tempers flared during Friday's season opener when Mets infielder Jeff McNeil objected to Hoskins sliding hard into him at second base. Both benches cleared as McNeil and Hoskins yelled at each other.

On Saturday, the Brewers designated hitter had an emphatic response to the dust-up, getting hits in his first three at-bats with a home run and four RBI.

Rubbing it in after that third-inning homer, Hoskins repeated the "crybaby" gesture that he directed at McNeil on Friday when he returned to the Milwaukee dugout.

By his fourth plate appearance in the seventh inning, the Mets had apparently seen enough from Hoskins and appeared to send a message. Reliever Yohan Ramirez threw his first pitch — a 94 mph fastball — behind Hoskins, who then stepped toward the pitching mound.

The dugouts and bullpens didn't empty out onto the field this time, but Hoskins exchanged words with the Mets bench. Ramirez was ejected and Jorge Lopez came in to eventually walk the seven-year veteran.

Speaking to reporters after the Brewers' 7-6 victory, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza insisted that Ramirez didn't intentionally throw at Hoskins.

"I know it looks really, really bad," said Mendoza. "But we're not trying to hit anybody here."

However, Hoskins didn't buy that Ramirez lost control of his pitch.

“Big-leaguers don’t miss by eight feet," he said. "Whether it was on purpose or not is really not for me to decide. But this game has had a way of policing itself for many, many years. So let’s focus on doing it the right way if we’re going to do that."

Hard feelings between Hoskins and the Mets go back to his six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. One particular incident that still irritates the Mets and their fans occurred in 2019 when Hoskins hit a home run and took 34 seconds to round the bases.

The Brewers and Mets close out their season-opening three-game series on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. ET. Will scheduled Mets starter Tylor Megill have more success against Hoskins, or will the Brewers DH continue to torment his rival?