There was drama between the Tigers and Angels on Friday night after Detroit ace Tarik Skubal yelled at Zach Neto after he struck him out in the third inning.
The benches briefly cleared after the incident, which occurred as Neto headed back to the dugout.
It was likely tied to Neto’s first-inning homer off Skubal.
After Neto’s leadoff blast, he looked at Skubal and also yelled at him and Skubal replied.
Angels manager Ron Washington said the fireworks were started by Skubal, who was the American League Cy Young award winner last season.
“I can only guess, because I never checked into it,” Washington told reporters. “He got him the first time, he struck him out the second time, and he probably said something to Neto, because after Neto struck out, he was walking away. So two competitors.”
The players seemed to agree with that sentiment.
“It’s competition,” Skubal said. “It’s nothing personal at the end of the day. I think he’s a really good baseball player. He’s proved that throughout his career. But it’s just competition, and I think it brings out the best in everybody. I think he understands that it wasn’t personal- at least I would hope so. I’m not that type of guy either. What happened, happened. Obviously, I probably should be a little bit smarter.”
Neto added: “The first inning, got a good swing off of him, the next time I faced him, he got a good pitch that I swung and missed on. It’s just a very competitive sport. Two guys, high energy, big-time situation. That’s what the game is all about.”
Tensions eased later in the Tigers’ 9-1 win, as nothing popped up between the two after Skubal got Neto to ground out in the sixth.
