Astros pitcher Hector Neris and the Red Sox third base coach got into it after a tense inning filled with confusion and suspicion. It started with Rob Refsnyder and Trevor Story getting on base for Boston, extending their lead. With Story on second, Neris grew paranoid that Story might be relaying signs to the batter by watching his grip, a growing concern across MLB. But a deeper look showed Story wasn’t doing anything suspicious—just trying to avoid a backpick and get a bigger lead. Still, Neris couldn’t shake the idea. He used up two mound disengagements, got a pitch clock violation on the batter, and then intentionally balked Story to third base to remove the distraction.
Even with Story on third, Neris kept checking him. A couple of foul balls and a final groundout bailed him out of the jam. But as the Astros walked off the field, Neris yelled at the Red Sox third base coach, who seemed to be laughing at how rattled he’d been. The back-and-forth turned into a shouting match before players and coaches stepped in. While Neris is known as a calm guy, this moment showed how much mental pressure pitchers feel with runners on second and the fear of sign stealing. The coach’s laughter probably hit a nerve, especially since Story didn’t do anything shady. It all ended with smiles in the dugout, but it was a clear sign of how twitchy today’s pitchers can be.