Benches clear in Padres-Cardinals game as Machado and Contreras both get hit twice by pitches

The benches cleared in a Cardinals-Padres game for the second straight night Saturday as St. Louis’ Willson Contreras and San Diego’s Manny Machado each got hit twice by pitches
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, left, is held back by St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras (40) after being hit by a pitch as home plate umpire Lance Barrett, right, watches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, July 26, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, left, is held back by St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras (40) after being hit by a pitch as home plate umpire Lance Barrett, right, watches during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, July 26, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Nation & World
Updated 10 hours ago
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ST. LOUIS (AP) — The benches cleared in a Cardinals-Padres game for the second straight night Saturday as St. Louis’ Willson Contreras and San Diego’s Manny Machado each got hit twice by pitches.

The bench-clearing incident came in the ninth inning of the Padres’ 3-1 victory as Machado complained after he was hit by a pitch from Andre Granillo. Cardinals coach Jon Jay, who had been exchanging words with Machado, was ejected from the game.

Contreras was hit by Robert Suarez' pitch in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate. Suarez then got the final two outs end the game.

The chippiness Saturday began in the fourth inning when a pitch from Randy Vasquez hit Contreras on his wrist. Vasquez appeared to apologize for it later on. Contreras already had been hit by a pitch from Nick Pivetta a night earlier, causing another benches-clearing incident.

When the Padres batted in the fifth, Matthew Liberatore's first pitch of the inning hit Machado, causing the umpiring crew to issue warnings to both teams.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, left, yells at home plate umpire Lance Barrett after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, July 26, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Credit: AP

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Credit: AP

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