Benches clear in Pirates-White Sox game after elbow thrown: What the fk is the matter with you?

Keep your elbows to yourself.The benches cleared in Chicago on Wednesday night after White Sox infielder Sam Antonacci elbowed Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe while trying to break up a double play.While Antonacci did not deliver an egregious blow by any means, Lowe and others took issue and the Pirates veteran seemingly told him during the ado: “What the f–k is the matter with you?”“I just didn’t like the slide.Said my piece and walked away,” Lowe said after the Pirates’ 4-2 win at Rate Field in the middle contest of this three-game set, per MLB.com.

“I don’t really know what led to it clearing, but bad slide the first night, bad slide tonight, and just kind of tired of it … He said something back.I reiterated what I said, and then I thought that was the end of it, and just kind of walked and went about my business, and then saw our guys coming out, and next thing I know, they were clear.”​Antonacci, however, defended his actions which ultimately went for naught with Lowe turning the double play to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh inning to preserve a 4-1 lead.“Just to try to make a harder throw for him to have to make,” Antonacci said, according to 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.”Every game is critical for Pittsburgh in its unlikely quest to claim the final NL playoff spot and Wednesday’s game hung in the balance when Yohan Ramirez faced Miguel Vargas with the bases loaded.Vargas rolled over a pitch to third baseman Jared Triolo, who fired to Lowe at second for the tailor-made 5-4-3 double play.Lowe began his throwing process while Antonacci slid and the ball had already been released from his hand when Antonacci popped up with an elbow into the veteran’s hip.One announcer noted how Antonacci has done this before “where he sticks out t...