SAN FRANCISCO -- Kyle Crick's volatile 2019 continues.
Crick injured his right index finger Monday before the team's game vs. the Giants, requiring season-ending extensor tendon repair surgery. He is expected to return in full health for Spring Training 2020.
But here's where things get wild: Per a release from the Pirates, "The injury occurred as a result of an altercation with Felipe Vazquez in the Pirates clubhouse prior to Monday's game versus the San Francisco Giants."
The conduct violated both players' contracts, and they have been fined an "undisclosed amount" as a result.
"The behavior exhibited by these two players last night is unacceptable, inconsistent with the standards expected of a Major League player and will not be tolerated by the organization," Pirates GM Neal Huntington said in a statement.
The team had no further comment on the matter at this time.
Sources told DKPittsburghSports.com that Crick has had a problem throughout the 2019 season with what he feels is favorable treatment from bullpen coach Euclides Rojas toward certain pitchers, notably Vazquez.
With this latest news, it appears that tension has boiled over and manifested in a physical manner.
Our Dejan Kovacevic offered the following thoughts:
On Crick vs. Vazquez: I like and respect both. A lot. But they're as different as different gets. Vazquez loves to have fun and do things his way. Crick often finds that unfair, and he's got the low boiling temp. Definitely not an out-of-nowhere incident. 1/3
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) September 11, 2019
That said, it's an actual feather in Neal Huntington's cap to be this forthright about the incident. He could've concocted a zillion BS reasons for Crick's finger to have been hurt. Instead, he put both players on public blast for bad behavior. Huge departure from their norm. 3/3
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) September 11, 2019
Vazquez still pitched Monday night against the Giants after the incident, notching two strikeouts and a groundout for his 26th save of the season.
Crick's 2019 comes to a screeching halt with a 4.96 ERA in 49 innings of relief, allowing 10 home runs and 30 total runs during that stretch.
More to come ...
