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By Aaron Coloma
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Chicago White Sox rookie Sam Antonacci defended his hard slide into second base which caused a benches-clearing argument after Wednesday's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Antonacci found himself on first base with the bases loaded in a three-run game Wednesday, and the White Sox looked to get some offense going with just one out. All-Star third baseman Miguel Vargas shot a grounder to shortstop, and in an attempt to break up the play, Antonacci slid late and popped up after his slide.
Pirates second baseman clearly took exception to Antonacci's slide, as the two exchanged words after the inning. Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo began walking towards Antonacci amid the exchange with his teammate, causing the benches to spill onto the field.
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Despite clearly being the aggressor, Antonacci stood firm in his belief that he was just playing the game.
"Bases were loaded, [I] went into the base pretty hard just to make a harder throw for him to have to make," Antonacci said. "Completely legal play, if you go look at the rulebook or go look at what happened. You can slide as late as you want as long as you keep contact with the bag, and that's exactly what happened.
"I think nowadays in this game, this age, people are used to just letting up on that play. They say 'we play 162 games, just let up early.' I don't want to make contact with them, but here we're trying to get a run any way we can. That's a close ballgame, these are playoff games and all I'm trying to do is scratch a run there.
"I'm sure he's a great guy, but he had a few choice words at the end then walked away after that. When you have a problem and you walk away like that... I'm happy enough to have a conversation but you can't walk away. With all that being said, they won the game, so they got the last laugh.
"...I'm just playing the game hard, and I think a lot of people don't see it that way, I guess."
What Happened After the Incident Involving Sam Antonacci?
After the teams re-entered their respective dugouts, White Sox reliever Trevor Richards plunked Pirates pinch hitter Billy Cook in the following half inning. The Pirates retaliated afterwards, as Tristan Peters wore a pitch the half inning after that.
This isn't the first on-field conflict Antonacci played a part in this season, as he found himself in the limelight against the Boston Red Sox in August, when he elbowed first baseman Willson Contreras while trying to beat out a grounder. Red Sox starter Sonny Gray hit him with a sinker two innings later.
Antonacci didn't receive any further punishment for either of his actions, and will look to bring the same competitiveness he always brings to the table on Thursday, when the White Sox look to avoid a sweep against the Pirates.
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