Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays get heated as benches clear in 7th inning

BALTIMORE — Benches cleared during the seventh inning of Baltimore’s game against Toronto on Tuesday night after Orioles reliever Bryan Baker appeared to make a hand signal toward the Blue Jays’ dugout.

Baker struck out Matt Chapman to end the top of the seventh, then appeared to make a “chirping” signal with his hand. Players from both benches were quickly on the field, and the bullpens joined them, although order was quickly restored.

The Orioles went on to win 9-6 to pull within 3 1/2 games of Toronto for the last American League wild card.

Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider said Baker has made similar gestures to the Jays in the past.

“I didn’t understand why Bryan Baker was looking into our dugout after giving up a run on back-to-back days,” Schneider said. “We were just surprised and unsure of why Bryan was looking in our dugout. Again, it wasn’t the first time he’s done that. So, I think guys were fed up with it.”

Baker allowed the first two Toronto hitters to reach base in the seventh, but with men on first and third, Teoscar Hernandez — who had homered off Baker in Monday’s first game — bounced into a double play. A run scored on that play to make it 6-5, but it left the bases empty.

“When I hit the groundball, he’s staring at me and saying, ‘Yeah, yeah,'” Hernandez said. “And then he strikes out Chapman. As soon as he strikes out, he turns into our dugout and starts talking and pointing at me, and saying that I was talking too much. But I wasn’t talking. I wasn’t saying anything.”

Baker saw it differently, although he said he probably should have handled the situation better.

“It was nothing towards their team or anything. It was just kind of letting him know that I know that he’s talking,” Baker said. “There’s really no issue with the team or anything like that. I don’t think that there’s any bad blood or anything like that. I was just letting him know that really.”

Schneider was ejected during the bottom of the inning and came out to give plate umpire Jeff Nelson an earful, but he said afterward that the argument was over balls and strikes and not related to previous half-inning.

The Blue Jays have a history with Nelson, who ejected then-manager Charlie Montoyo from an April game after Montoyo took issue with his strike zone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.