A double play ended the inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday, but sparked a benches-clearing incident in response. During the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox in the series finale, tempers flared during the late innings. Sam Antonacci was at the center of it. Following the matchup, the 23-year-old White Sox second baseman defended his on-field actions.

“We’re trying to get a run any way we can there, and I did the same thing yesterday, and I didn’t say anything. But I could hear him mumble a little bit,” Sam Antonacci said, per Underdog MLB on X. “Even yesterday, I was just playing the game hard, and I think a lot of people don’t see it that way, I guess.”

Trailing 4-0 at the bottom of the seventh, the White Sox loaded the bases with one out. In the next at-bat, Miguel Vargas hit a grounder to third, and Yohan Ramirez induced a 5-4-3 double play. Third baseman Jared Triolo threw to Brandon Lowe at second for the first out. Sam Antonacci slid hard at second, but could not stop the 2B. Antonacci was put out, and Lowe threw it to Spencer Horwitz, stranding the runners.

During his hard slide, Antonacci’s elbow popped out and came into contact with Lowe’s midriff. The Pirates’ infielder took exception to the slide. The two went back and forth, causing the benches and bullpens to clear.

The situation did not escalate much from there on. The two teams eventually retreated to their respective dugouts, and play resumed. The umpire did not eject any player but issued warnings to both teams. Following the game, Antonacci defended his actions and also said that nothing he did during that play was illegal.

“Just to try to make a harder throw for him to have to make,” Antonacci told MLB.com. “Completely legal play. If you go look at the rulebook or go look at what happened, you can slide as late as you want as long as you keep contact with the bag, and that’s exactly what happened…

“Here, we’re trying to get a run in any way we can. That’s a close ballgame; these are playoff games, and all I’m trying to do is scratch a run there.”

Antonacci also revealed that he is struggling to control his left elbow, and he told reporters that his elbow tends to pop up when sliding with his right leg.

This is not the first time the Pirates have gotten involved in a bench-clearing incident. On July 20, a verbal altercation between Dennis Santana and Jose Caballero at Yankee Stadium turned into a benches-clearing incident. Much like Wednesday, the incident happened after a double play. Santana had confronted Caballero over his delayed pitch-clock routine.

After the matchup, manager Will Venable addressed the incident and spoke about the possibility of Antonacci developing a reputation.

White Sox manager reacts to benches-clearing incident

Sam Antonacci does not hesitate to slide hard, but when his left elbow keeps popping out every time he slides on his right, opponents take exception. Antonacci’s elbow popped out during the series opener as well, but it only caused a stir during the second game. Guess the Pirates can overlook it once, but not on two consecutive days.

After everything was said and done, White Sox manager Will Venable spoke about Antonacci developing a reputation.

“I mean, we’ve seen it a couple of times before. Obviously Sammy goes out there and plays extremely hard,” the White Sox manager told MLB.com. “I wouldn’t say anything he does is dirty, but you understand when guys play hard, and there’s contact. At this point, Sammy is probably developing a reputation [as someone] who goes out and plays hard and puts his body on the line.”

On Wednesday, Antonacci, who is hitting .267 this season, went 1-for-5. He drove in a single in the bottom of the seventh and put the White Sox on the scoreboard. After play resumed in the eighth, Munetaka Murakami scored another run for the White Sox with his solo homer. But ultimately, the Sox could not rally past the Pirates. They went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Despite the loss, the White Sox remain at the top of the AL Central.