Baseball notebook: Yanks, Jays duke it out
Jorge Posada and Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson got into a fight near home plate, leading to a frenzied, bench-clearing brawl between the Yankees and Blue Jays in the eighth inning Tuesday night in New York.
Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion and All-Star second baseman Aaron Hill were hit by pitches before Carlson threw behind Posada in the eighth. Posada glared out at the mound and Carlson motioned toward him as the benches and bullpens emptied.
Order was quickly restored, but moments later a fight broke out. Posada brushed Carlson after crossing the plate on Brett Gardner’s double, prompting plate umpire Jim Joyce to eject Posada.
Carlson shouted at the Yankees’ star catcher, who came back at Carlson.
The two wrestled to the ground as the benches and bullpens emptied and other scuffles broke out between home plate and the New York dugout.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi emerged with a cut and a bruise on his head.
Crew chief and third base umpire Derryl Cousins left the game after the brawl. It wasn’t clear if he got hurt during the fight. Only three umpires finished the game.
Carlson also was ejected.
The Blue Jays won 10-4.
Young back in lineup
Michael Young figured he had waited long enough to return to the Texas Rangers’ lineup.
With 19 games left and Texas facing its largest deficit for a playoff spot all season, Young was the designated hitter against Oakland on Tuesday night. It was two weeks after the All-Star third baseman strained his left hamstring running out a grounder, and at least a few days earlier than expected.
“I woke up this morning, I just wanted to go play,” Young said.
Clearing the bases
Oft-injured Houston Astros pitcher Mike Hampton, 37, is already out for next year. Hampton has undergone surgery for a torn left rotator cuff and other damage in his shoulder that will sideline him for the 2010 season, the team said. … The Detroit Tigers will honor longtime broadcaster Ernie Harwell, 91, at Comerica Park tonight. He recently announced he has inoperable cancer.