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Benches Clear After Tigers' Framber Valdez Hits Red Sox's Trevor Story with Pitch, Resulting in Ejection
Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez was ejected in the fourth inning after hitting Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story with a 94 mph fastball, prompting both teams to empty their benches at Comerica Park. The incident followed back-to-back home runs by Boston hitters, contributing to a 10-3 Red Sox victory. Valdez denied intent, while the Red Sox called the hit-by-pitch weak and deliberate.
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The incident, which came immediately after Valdez surrendered back-to-back solo home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu on three pitches, led both benches to empty onto the field. Home plate umpire Adam Beck intervened in front of Story right after the 94 mph fastball struck him on the first pitch of his at-bat, but that did little to contain the frustration as players from both sides converged along the first base line.
Willson Contreras was among the first Red Sox players to leave the dugout and join the fray on the field. Cooler heads prevailed with no further altercations, but Valdez received the only ejection of the game. 35 ERA.
The sequence unfolded with the Tigers trailing 8-2 in the inning. Valdez allowed seven earned runs and three unearned runs over just three innings, yielding 10 runs on nine hits and one walk. 57 following the outing, marking the first time in his career he had surrendered more than eight runs in a game—prior to May 5, 2026, his high had been eight.
"Yes, I do think (it was intentional)," Tracy said. He added, "I thought it was weak, and I thought everybody saw it. Their side, our side, I think everybody saw it.
Valdez, speaking through an interpreter, pushed back on the notion of intent. "It was not intentional. It was not on purpose. It might look like that, but it wasn't," he said. He called the ejection "completely unfair given that, first of all, they should have given me a warning.
J. Hinch acknowledged the tensions surrounding the play. "I understand the frustration. I understand the optics. I understand the whole thing," Hinch said. The benches-clearing scuffle highlighted the strain on Detroit's pitching staff, already depleted by injuries as of May 5, 2026.
