BALTIMORE (AP) — Coby Mayo cleared the bases — and the benches — with his first big league RBI.
With a runner on second and two outs in the fourth inning of over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, the Orioles designated hitter singled to left field to drive in Ryan O’Hearn.
Mayo, called up from the minors earlier in the day, rounded first after his first RBI in his 22nd major league game but got caught in a rundown.
Second baseman Lenyn Sosa tossed to first baseman Miguel Vargas and Mayo collided with Sosa with both arms — to try to draw an interference call — and fell as he was heading to second. Vargas tagged Mayo out, but Sosa took exception to Mayo’s shove.
The two were talking when Mayo picked up his helmet from the ground and then pushed Sosa in the left shoulder as he was walking away. That sent players from both teams onto the field, where there was a little pushing and shoving before order was quickly restored without incident.
“Obviously, I was just trying to get to second base,” . “I was trying to get into scoring position for Heston (Kjerstad) and (Chicago) cuts it off and I got into a rundown. I was being told in the minor leagues to try to stay in a rundown.
“I thought he was in the baseline and just tried to get some contact and didn’t mean for it to escalate. I wasn’t trying to do that. It just, it did.”
Sosa said through an interpreter that he didn’t like how Mayo handled things.
“I think he tried to make a dirty play and after that, I just went to him and tried to ask him, ‘Why did you do that?’” Sosa told reporters. “His reaction was to push me.”
White Sox manager Will Venable downplayed the situation.
“I don’t think it was that big a deal,” he said. “Probably just Mayo trying to make a play and get an interference call and (I’m) sure Sosa just didn’t appreciate getting run into intentionally. But yeah, not a big deal.”
The 23-year-old Mayo, considered one of the Orioles’ top prospects, entered with a career .094 batting average. He went 1 for 12 in four games earlier this season with Baltimore after going 4 for 41 in 17 games last season. Mayo, who went 1 for 3 on Saturday, is now batting .133 this season in the majors.
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