A's Laureano charges Astros hitting coach who goaded him after he's plunked a second time

The bad blood between the Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros boiled over into a benches-clearing melee Sunday, with A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano charging the Astros’ dugout after being hit by a pitch for the second straight at-bat and being goaded by an Astros hitting coach.

When Laureano got to first base after the second hit by pitch, he got into a verbal altercation with Astros coach Alex Cintron, who was screaming and gesturing at Laureano from the dugout. Laureano, who was not wearing a mask, then charged at Cintron and was tackled by Astros catcher Dustin Garneau before he could get to him.

Laureano didn’t appear to throw any punches and video of the incident didn’t seem to show to show punches from other players. But both benches emptied and there was a lot of shoving before umpires could clear the field.

Laureano, a key member of the A’s lineup, will almost certainly receive a multi-game suspension for his part in a fight in which many players from both teams were in close contact during a pandemic, some of them without masks.

In late July, Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly received an eight-game suspension for throwing behind Houston third baseman Alex Bregman and taunting the Astros on his way to the dugout.

In the fifth inning of Sunday’s game, Laureano was hit on the left shoulder blade on a pitch from Brandon Bailey – the same player the A’s traded to the Astros for Laureano in 2017.

In the top of the seventh, Astros Manager Dusty Baker was ejected after arguing a called strike against Kyle Tucker that appeared to miss.

That led to the melee in the bottom of the seventh, when Astros reliever Humberto Castellanos hit Laureano square in the back with a pitch — the third time in the series he had been hit. Laureano showed discomfort and pointed at Castellanos before going to first base.

At least one Major League player reacted to the brawl soon after. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted, "Alex Cintron with the ultimate soft move."

Much of the tensions between the teams stem from the Astros’ cheating scandal and A’s pitcher Mike Fiers’ role in it as whistleblower. Fiers was a pitcher for the championship 2017 Houston team, and he exposed tricks the team used to gain a hitting advantage, including stealing signs from pitchers with an illegal video feed.

A’s players have been among the Astros’ most vocal critics for the scandal. Pitcher Sean Manaea said last month, “I really don’t have that much respect for any of those guys.”

The A’s won Sunday's game 7-2, completing a three-game sweep and extending their lead over Houston in the A.L. West to 5 ½ games.