DETROIT -- Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez, thrust into the ace role with Tarik Skubal set to undergo elbow surgery, was ejected from his start in Tuesday night's 10-3 loss to the Red Sox after hitting Trevor Story following back-to-back homers leading off the fourth inning at Comerica Park.
What was already a rough evening for Valdez got worse when Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu homered on two of Valdez’s first three pitches in the frame. Contreras tossed his bat high into the air upon sending Valdez’s first-pitch changeup 449 feet to left.
The back-to-back homers extended Boston’s lead to 10-2. But with the Tigers coming off back-to-back bullpen games in place of injured starters Casey Mize and Skubal, manager A.J. Hinch had every intention to stick with Valdez. Brenan Hanifee had been warming during Boston’s five-run third inning, but had since sat down.
Those plans abruptly changed when Valdez hit Trevor Story in the back with a 94 mph fastball on his first pitch after the homers. Plate umpire Adam Beck immediately got in front of Story as he began yelling at Valdez. By then, the Red Sox bench was already spilling out of the first-base dugout, followed quickly by Tigers players from the third-base dugout, then eventually the bullpens.
No punches were thrown, but plenty of pleasantries were exchanged. Once the players settled down, umpires conferred and ejected Valdez, who was replaced by Hanifee. Both benches were warned not to retaliate.
The Tigers needed innings and outs from Valdez, and got neither. He yielded a career-high 10 runs, seven earned, on nine hits – including three homers, tying his career high – in three-plus innings. His ERA rose from 3.35 to 4.57, a mighty jump even for five weeks into the season.