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June 27 (UPI) -- Six players and two managers were ejected for their roles in a large brawl between the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels in the second inning of their series finale at Angel Stadium. Angels starter Andrew Wantz sparked the melee in the first at-bat of the inning Sunday in Anaheim, Calif. The Angels won the game 2-1, avoiding a sweep in the three-game series.
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"I mean, you play eight games in a matter of a week against the same team, things like this happen," Angels interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters.
"That's baseball sometimes. Unfortunately, there's some ugly incidents once in a while. I think that's just what happened."
The second-inning incident appeared to be a continuance of tensions from Saturday's game. Mariners relief pitcher Erik Swanson threw a 95-mph fastball that nearly hit Angels star Mike Trout during that contest. Trout criticized Swanson for that pitch in his postgame media availability.
The Mariners and Angeles also received warnings Sunday after Wantz threw a fastball behind outfielder Julio Rodriguez in the first inning.
Neither team plated a run in the first. Wantz settled in against Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker to lead off the second. The right handed pitcher issued a 91.1-mph fastball, which drilled Winker on his right hip.
Mariners manager Scott Servais asked the umpire to eject Wantz for hitting Winker. Winker then exchanged words with the Angels dugout and sprinted toward the area.
Angels players flowed out of the dugout and onto the field to confront the veteran left fielder. Mariners players also ran out of their dugout and met the Angels on the field. The players shared words, shoves and punches for nearly 20 minutes before they eventually separated.
Nevin and Servais were ejected. Wantz and pitchers Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Tepera were among the Angels players kicked out for their roles in the scuffle. Winker, Rodriguez and shortstop J.P. Crawford were the Mariners players ejected.
Second baseman Abraham Toro went on to hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth for the Mariners' lone run. Angels infielder Luis Rengifo tied the score with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. Third baseman David MacKinnon drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the same inning.
Mariners starter Marco Gonzalez allowed five hits and two runs over six innings, but dropped to 4-8 on the season. Angels pitcher Jose Suarez, who replaced Wantz, allowed just five hits and one run over six innings to improve to 1-2 in 2022.
The Mariners (34-40) will host the Baltimore Orioles (34-40) at 10:10 p.m. EDT Monday at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Angels (35-40) will face the Chicago White Sox (34-37) at 9:38 p.m. Monday at Angel Stadium.
The Angels will meet the Mariners for a two-game series Aug. 5 and 6 in Seattle. They will also play a three-game series from Aug. 15 through 17 in Anaheim and a four-game series from Sept. 16 through 19 at Angel Stadium.
