Things got heated early in Atlanta, but nothing came of it. In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on third, Josh Donaldson got clipped on the jersey by an inside fastball from Joe Musgrove. The ball barely grazed him, but Donaldson wasn’t pleased. He shot Musgrove a look that kicked off a string of expletive-filled stares and exchanges. Donaldson seemed annoyed he didn’t get a chance to hit with a runner in scoring position. Musgrove didn’t appreciate the glare and barked back. Benches cleared, players postured, but no punches were thrown.
Both dugouts spilled out, mostly to play referee. Diaz and Snitker stepped in first. Snowbelle and Freeman tried to calm Donaldson down. Musgrove looked ready to scrap, even taking his hat off, but never got the chance. Giles lumbered in late like backup no one asked for. In the middle of the chaos, Clint Hurdle got tossed along with his pitcher. Hurdle argued, claiming Musgrove shouldn’t have been ejected, but the umpires weren’t hearing it.
In the end, it looked like Donaldson may have wanted out of the game. His stats over the last 10 games were rough, and Musgrove’s ejection arguably hurt the Pirates more than Donaldson leaving hurt the Braves. The whole thing felt more like theater than a real conflict, and Donaldson’s teammates didn’t exactly rally to his defense. Most kept their distance, maybe sensing the drama was his to own.