Tempers flare in Mets-Rockies game after Ian Desmond gets hit following two homers

NEW YORK – Drew Gagnon understand the optics are bad.

After the Mets reliever yielded a second homer in the eighth inning of Friday’s 5-1 loss to the Rockies, Gagnon hit the next batter, Ian Desmond, right in the back.

Desmond flipped his bat in disgust, motioning to Gagnon while asking him what he was doing with that pitch. Gagnon reacted defiantly, yelling back that it wasn’t on purpose, later telling reporters he couldn’t locate his pitches.

And then the benches cleared for the first of two times.

“I see where they’re coming from but I wasn’t throwing strikes all day,” Gagnon said. “Ball slipped, two-seamer. I mean, complete accident.”

There were no punches thrown or ejections during that eighth inning, but tempers were certainly high as the Rockies were not pleased.

Gagnon entered with the Mets losing, 2-1, and allowed a two-run homer to David Dahl and a solo shot to Daniel Murphy that all but ended the game.

He then fired a pitch up and in to Desmond, and two pitchers later hit Desmond right between the numbers, which always is a bad look after two moonshots.

Desmond actually started walking toward first base with home plate umpire Chris Segal, but Murphy came onto the field and screamed at Gagnon, mixing in some expletives while telling him to throw the ball over the plate.

Both sides slowly filed onto the field with Mets third baseman Todd Frazier intercepting Murphy, and the bullpens making the charge to the mound. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso also walked toward the Rockies to prevent a brawl.

“I mean I have no reason to (not believe Gagnon),” Desmond said. “But that was my point, I was like what are you doing? That was just two terrible pitches back-to-back. Like, whether it was on-purpose or not, those were terrible pitches.

“But whatever. It’s water under the bridge.”

Murphy, a former Met, agreed that it was not a great look for Gagnon.

“The first one was up and in and then I think it was a change-up and then he got one right in the middle of the back,” Murphy said. “There are lot of guys over there that I trust in this industry that I really value their opinion and they were all saying they didn’t think it was on-purpose. It’s just I don’t think it’s a great look. But I’m going to take them at their word it wasn’t on purpose.”

After it seemed everything had calmed down, and the sides were retreated, Desmond started yelling at Mets starter Jacob deGrom.

DeGrom walked by Desmond and eyed him down, and claims he did not say anything, but Desmond seemingly thought deGrom did. The infielder later pointed and motioned at deGrom as the players came back on the field.

Desmond laced an RBI single off deGrom in the fourth inning.

“Honestly I just looked at him and I think he thought i said something, I have no problem with him,” said deGrom, who allowed two runs in six innings in a losing effort. “I think it was just a misunderstanding, and then everybody jumped in and I think it got a little more, or it looked worse than what it was. He said, ‘did you say something to me?’ I didn’t say anything, so I got no problem with him.”

The teams received warnings, but there were no ejections since crew chief Mike Winters said they did not feel that Gagnon intentionally threw at Desmond.

The Rockies did not hit any Met in the final two innings while trying to protect a four-run lead, but that doesn’t mean the Mets are safe for the next two days.

“Let’s see what happens. We’re ready to play baseball,” Mets catcher Wilson Ramos said.” Every time I’m out there, I’m ready to play hard and if I get hit, it happens in the game. That’s how we play.”