Wondering what sparked Thursday’s bench-clearing brawl between the Twins and Indians during the former’s 9-0 win? Me neither, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes is going to tell you anyway.
Jason Davis knew it was a joke. He’s still not laughing.
“I didn’t care whose jersey it was,” said Davis on Saturday. “It’s a Cleveland jersey. You have to respect it. You have to respect the I’ on your chest.”
When Davis walked onto the Metrodome field Wednesday afternoon, he saw Casey Blake’s jersey draped across the first base screen while the Twins were taking batting practice.
A Major League Baseball productions crew was filming “Maximum Exposure,” a weekly show, at the time. Blake’s jersey, and the Twins trying to hit it, was supposed to be the “joke segment” of the show.
“They’re taking batting practice and trying to hit it,” said Davis. “We’re family on this team. You stand up for your family.”
Some of the Twins felt Davis’ anger carried into Thursday’s game when he hit Shannon Stewart with a pitch.
“We’re out there to play ball,” said Davis. “They’re trying to get hits and I’m trying to get outs. If you get hit by a pitch, you can’t take it personally.”