CHICAGO – The Cincinnati Reds didn't get out of Chicago before nearly brawling with the White Sox in the third inning of their series finale. After Sox starter Davis Martin threw a pitch over the head of Reds' rookie first baseman Sal Stewart leading off the third, he threw the next pitch at Stewart's head, nearly hitting him in the face as the ball clipped the helmet. Stewart, who had homered off Martin in the first and admired the shot before running, stepped toward the pitcher, pointing his bat and holding up two fingers as he yelled at him – and as the benches emptied, followed by the bullpens.
Order was restored before any punches were thrown After the umpires huddled briefly, Martin was ejected. The White Sox led 4-3 at the time, having come back from a 3-0 deficit after the Reds opened the game with a three-run first that also included a two-run homer by Eugenio Suárez. Stewart eventually came around to score and tie the game in the third on Suárez's sacrifice fly.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds, White Sox benches, bullpens empty in fiery series finale