'You think you're a superhero?' Tensions flare in dramatic WC chase

BALTIMORE -- Well, chaos was promised.

Perhaps that will come after all from this American League Wild Card race, which grew heated and more jumbled again Tuesday night at Camden Yards. Three games into this four-game set against the Orioles, things have been as tense as the Blue Jays expected. The stakes are high. And a day after putting their firepower on display in a doubleheader sweep, Toronto snapped its five-game win streak with a 9-6 loss to the O's that certainly featured fireworks.

When the dust settled, the Blue Jays' lead over Baltimore for the third and final Wild Card spot shrunk back down to 3 1/2 games. The club also lost a game to Tampa Bay and Seattle, who both won to remain in a virtual tie for the top spot.

“You want to call it a rivalry? Yeah, sure,” said interim manager John Schneider, whose seventh-inning ejection was only one show of emotion on a frustrating night for Toronto. “We're all playing for something right now.”

Just minutes before he ejected Schneider for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout, home plate umpire Jeff Nelson warned both teams after a benches-clearing incident broke out at the conclusion of the top of the seventh.

Here is what happened, as the Blue Jays saw it:

With Toronto down 6-4 and runners on the corners in the top of the seventh, O’s reliever Bryan Baker induced a 6-4-3 double play from Teoscar Hernández that moved the Blue Jays within a run. Hernández took exception to how Baker, who made his MLB debut for Toronto last year before the O's claimed him off waivers, reacted to the play. Specifically, the Blue Jays didn’t like how Baker glared at their bench after he struck out Matt Chapman to end the inning.

“When he was here, we were actually cool, but I guess he has something in his mind,” Hernández said. “I guess he was mad because yesterday I hit a homer. Every time he pitches against us, he tries to make a show. I wasn’t even paying attention to anything he said. When I hit the ground ball, he’s staring at me, and saying, 'Yeah, yeah.' I don’t know. Then he struck out Chapman and turned to the entire dugout and pointed at me, saying I was talking too much.”

Said Baker: “I think everybody knows at this point, I’m pretty fired up, pretty intense out there. It was nothing toward their team or anything. It was just letting him know that I know that he’s talking.”

“But I wasn’t saying anything,” Hernández said. “Then he started walking, and I just reacted.”

Both benches and bullpens emptied as a result. No punches were thrown, though Hernández had to be physically restrained by players from both teams before the brouhaha died down. He needed a new jersey afterwards because the buttons on his game jersey snapped as he was being held back.

“We believe if you're looking at the dugout that means you want problems, or you want us to react,” said Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (through team interpreter Hector Lebron). ​​“You can enjoy the moment -- we understand that. You strike out somebody, you can celebrate. But when you stare at the person it's kind of disrespectful. I mean, maybe you think you're a superhero or something? Whatever. But yeah, he does cross the line.”

It’s far from the first time tensions have boiled over between these two teams, given their historic rivalry. They’ve had recent dustups, too, like the Brandon Hyde-Robbie Ray jawing from 2021. The O’s also have taken exception with Alek Manoah’s propensity to pitch inside in the past.

But with 10 head-to-head fall matchups and both in the playoff hunt, this is the first time these teams have played each other with something on the line for both of them since the mid-2010s. At the very least, Tuesday’s three-hour, 53-minute tug-of-war came with befitting intensity.

“I didn’t understand why Bryan Baker was looking into our dugout after giving up a run on back-to-back days,” Schneider said. “I think it was about Baker looking into our dugout like he has every time he's pitched against us since he wasn't part of our team. Our team reacted. I know emotions run high for a guy who used to play for another team.”

There are other layers to Tuesday’s outburst, too. The Blue Jays have a history with Nelson, who ejected Charlie Montoyo during a difficult loss back in April vs. Oakland. Toronto also wasn’t thrilled with the way the Orioles handled a last-minute pitching switch Monday, after preparing all day to face right-hander Jordan Lyles only to learn they’d face lefty Keegan Akin in the nightcap instead, on just a few minutes notice.

All set the stage for Tuesday’s histrionics, which distracted from another disappointing Mitch White start and more all-around excellence from Bo Bichette (4 hits, 4 runs, 4th HR in two games). These teams play seven more times down the stretch, beginning with Wednesday's series finale.

“When you’re in a race like this, things like this are going to happen,” Guerrero said. “Heat of the moment.”