Triple A player George Valera, a top Cleveland Guardians prospect, launched a benches-clearing brawl on Thursday after he shoved an umpire and took a swipe at an opposing player.
Video seems to show that when he walked up to the plate, Valera seemed to take exception to something that Nashville catcher Alex Jackson may have said. The umpire quickly got between the players, but Valera pushed the ump aside as both teams began to respond to the situation, the New York Post reported.
WE GOT BEEF!!!!! At the Nashville Sounds game after the batter PUNCHED THE UMP!!!!! #NashvilleSounds #WeGotBeef pic.twitter.com/ogRBnYD8Rv
— DannyBTalks (Daniel Baldwin) (@DannyBTalks) July 7, 2023
As plate umpire Tanner Moore tried to keep them apart, Valera seemed to push the ump aside to get at Jackson, but as he did that, both benches emptied as the players streamed out onto the field.
WE GOT BEEF!!!!! At the Nashville Sounds game after the batter PUNCHED THE UMP!!!!! #NashvilleSounds #WeGotBeef pic.twitter.com/ogRBnYD8Rv
— DannyBTalks (Daniel Baldwin) (@DannyBTalks) July 7, 2023
Valera, 22, and Jackson, 27, were ejected from the game once everyone calmed down.
The player started the 2023 season on the injured list after having surgery on his hand last year. Since returning to the lineup, the Queens native who grew up in the Dominican Republic has appeared in 21 games, hit only a .187, and earned a .546 OPS without any home runs.
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