BOSTON -- This time, the pitch went nowhere close to Manny Machado's head. But that didn't stop Machado from losing his mind.
In the latest chapter of the beanball drama between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, Boston ace Chris Sale threw a 98 mph fastball at the knees and behind Machado in the first inning on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
The Orioles slugger homered off Sale later in the game, but he went on an expletive-laden rant after the Red Sox's 5-2 victory in which he blasted the pitcher and said he "lost [his] respect for that organization, that coaching staff and everyone over there."
"I mean, if you're going to f---ing hit me, hit me. Go ahead. F---ing hit me," Machado said. "Don't let this s--- keep lingering, f---ing around and keep trying to hit people. It's f---ing bulls---."
Informed of Machado's comments, Sale shrugged.
"Whatever, man," said Sale, who didn't discuss the intention of his pitch. "Not losing any sleep tonight."
The ongoing feud between the Red Sox and Orioles dates to April 21 in Baltimore. Machado slid spikes-high into Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who missed the next three games with a sore left knee and ankle.
Two days after the slide, Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes threw a 90 mph pitch behind Machado's head. Major League Baseball suspended Barnes for four games, and Pedroia publicly denounced his teammates' actions, with television cameras capturing him telling Machado, "It's not me, it's them."
Although both sides claimed the situation was over before this week's series began Monday at Fenway, Orioles starter Dylan Bundy drilled Red Sox star Mookie Betts in the left hip on Monday night. The Orioles chalked it up to routine wildness, with manager Buck Showalter citing Bundy's four walks in the game as an explanation for the pitch to Betts getting away.
But Sale entered the fray on Tuesday night by throwing the first pitch behind Machado on his first at-bat. Plate umpire D.J. Reyburn issued warnings to both teams. Sale proceeded to strike out Machado, then returned to the Red Sox dugout and was verbally spurring on his teammates.
"As I see it, I slid into second base normal and kind of hurt someone a little bit, unintentional. And they're still trying to make me pay the piper."Manny Machado
"Just getting fired up," Sale said. "Invited everybody over for a pool party. I enjoy those. Throw some ribs on the grill, maybe a steak or two. Just trying to get the boys together."
Machado wasn't as amused.
"F---ing bulls---," Machado said. "F---ing p---y s---. Coward stuff. I mean, that's the stuff you don't f---ing do. But I mean, I'm not on that side. I'm not in that organization. They're still thinking about that same slide that I did. There was no intention on hurting anybody, and I'm still paying. I'm still trying to get hit at, get thrown at on my f---ing head. They're f---ing throwing everywhere."
Red Sox manager John Farrell brushed off the idea that Sale was trying to hit Machado.
"Was there any intent? He was going in with a fastball and pulled it in," Farrell said. "He threw 115 pitches tonight. I don't know that you're going to hit the spot every single time you throw the baseball."
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette told ESPN's Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight Podcast that the Red Sox throwing at Machado three times in the last two weeks is "unacceptable" and said he hoped there would be a response from the league Wednesday.
"Manny Machado is one of the great players in baseball. ... Machado shouldn't have to dodge a missile every time he comes to the plate," Duquette said.
Machado also suggested that MLB should "do something about it."
"You have pitchers out there with f---ing balls in their hands throwing 100 mph trying to hit people," Machado said. "I've got a f---ing bat too. I could go up there and crush somebody if I wanted to, but you know what, I'll get suspended for a year -- and the pitchers only get suspended for two games. That's not cool.
"As I see it, I slid into second base normal and kind of hurt someone a little bit, unintentional. And they're still trying to make me pay the piper. I don't know what their mindset is."
Sale's pitch to Machado came moments after fans at Fenway Park stood and cheered Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who was the target of racial slurs on Monday night. Sale walked around the mound in order to give the fans extra time to applaud Jones.
"I wanted to show him the respect he's earned and he deserved," Sale said of Jones. "We have a great fan base here. I don't want a few idiots to mess that up. I think Fenway came together, the Boston fans came together and did the right thing today, plain and simple. Adam's one of the best players in the game, and he's very well-respected. He's a good guy. I know him. He's a good person. I don't think anybody deserves to go through anything like that."