Benches Clear During Pivotal Yankees-Rays Game After CC Sabathia & Avisail Garcia Face Off

“It felt like holding a bear,” said New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorious when he described his efforts to hold back his 300-pound teammate, C.C. Sabathia, Tuesday night in the Bronx.

After Sabathia struck out Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Avisail Garcia to strand two runners during the sixth inning, the 38–year old outfielder shouted toward Sabathia’s direction while also pointing his finger at the future Hall of Famer. Sabathia, not taking kindly to Garcia’s antics, quickly rebutted with his own shouting and and began marching toward Garcia until Gregorious managed to intercept him. Although Gracia and Sabathia never threw punches, benches and bullpens from both teams emptied out as players and coaches flooded onto the field looking to diffuse the situation.

After this series concludes, Sabathia and the Yankees won’t see Tampa Bay again for a while. The two rivals will await a chance to add another chapter to their rivalry until this season’s sunset, as the teams are scheduled to clash for just two more games in September.