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Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana swiped at a fan in the stands during Thursday’s game against the Detroit Tigers
The reliever was warming up in the bullpen when the incident occurred
Santana said the fan “crossed the line”
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dennis Santana was involved in an altercation with a fan who “crossed the line” during a game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
In footage seen on social media, the 29-year-old reliever exchanged words with a man — who was wearing a shirt honoring Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente and a Tigers hat — seated on the first row of the outfield at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The interaction happened while Santana was warming up in the bullpen during game two of a doubleheader.
In the clip, Santana jumps up towards the fan and takes a swipe in his direction, before his teammates and security hold him back.
After the game, the Dominican right-hander spoke to reporters about his behavior.
“You guys know me — I’m a calm demeanor type of person,” Santana said through an interpreter, according to ESPN. “I’ve never had any issues for any of the teams I’ve played for. This guy crossed the line a few times.”
When asked to elaborate further, Santana added: “He crossed the line, and I’d like to leave it at that. I’ve never had anything like this happen in my eight years in baseball.”
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According to MLive.com, the fan was ejected from the stadium after the incident.
Santana later entered the game in the ninth inning and recorded one out before weather moved in and forced a rain delay.
The veteran pitcher, who is in his second season for the Pirates, did not return to the game, which Pittsburgh ultimately won, 8-4.
Santana made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has previously played for the Texas Rangers, New York Mets and New York Yankees.
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