Watch: White Sox, Royals Engage In Benches-Clearing Brawl
(CBS) The bad blood between the White Sox and Royals that stemmed from Opening Day came to a reckoning Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field, where the benches emptied at the end of the seventh inning when Kansas City starter Yordano Ventura and Chicago lead-off hitter exchanged words and everyone responded accordingly.
From there, everyone joined the fracas, and it escalated when White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija and Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain went at it. Their feud traces back to Opening Day, when Samardzija plunked Cain, who thought it was done on purpose. Samardzija denied that.
Whatever the case, Thursday's brawl was ugly and the end result of an ongoing beanball war. Five players were ejected -- Samardzija and Chris Sale of the White Sox and Ventura, Cain and Edinson Volquez of the Royals.
In what mattered most, the Royals won 3-2 in 13 innings, with Eric Hosmer's go-ahead RBI double being the difference. Kansas City is now an AL-best 12-4 and 5.5 games ahead of Chicago in the AL Central.
Watch the brawl below.