Volquez, Donaldson and More Royals, Blue Jays Comment After Benches Clear


Big winners at last week's trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays fashion themselves as American League contenders. The Blue Jays took perhaps their first step in that direction over the weekend, taking three of four games from the Kansas City Royals despite the AL leader firing shots—figuratively and literally—in their direction. 



"He's a little baby," Royals starter Edinson Volquez told reporters of Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson after Sunday's 5-2 loss. "He was crying like a baby."

Volquez's words came after a series finale overrun with tension. Pitchers from each side had multiple instances of throwing inside, all culminating when Toronto's Aaron Sanchez caused benches to clear by plunking Kansas City's Alcides Escobar in the eighth inning.


Volquez and reliever Ryan Madson had thrown high and tight on Donaldson earlier in the game, with Volquez hitting him in the shoulder during the first.

"He can't take it," Volquez told reporters of Donaldson. "I don't know why. He hit a lot of homers in the first couple of games and he was pimping everything he does. Somebody hits you, you've got to take it, because you're pimping everything you do."

In the seventh, Madson hit newly acquired shortstop Troy Tulowitzki before throwing inside to Donaldson. The latter event caused Blue Jays manager John Gibson to get thrown out for complaining that Madson was not thrown out of the game.

"When you give a warning like that and you see balls continually thrown around the head area, and then a ball that hits Tulowitzki in the chest, pretty much, it's one of those things where you can't question intent anymore," Donaldson said, per ESPN. "There has to be repercussions for you giving a warning at the beginning, and I think that's where he went wrong at it."

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman appears to be siding with Toronto, tweeting, "Volquez should have been ejected. Can't blame Donaldson/Jays for being upset." More