Tigers starter Framber Valdez was ejected after plunking Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, which led to both benches emptying out to enter the fray.
With the Tigers down 8-2 in the top of the fourth inning, Valdez, in a span of three pitches, surrendered back-to-back solo home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu.
The lefty wasted no time with the next hitter, Story, coming up and in and drilling the infielder square in the numbers.
Home plate umpire Adam Beck almost immediately got in front of an incensed Story, but that didn’t stop the rest of the Red Sox bench from leaving the confines of the dugout, including Contreras, who was among the first of Boston contingent coming onto the field.
The Tigers then poured onto the field, but cooler heads appeared to prevail, as little happened along the first base line as the players converged.
Before long, Valdez got the heave-ho, the only player with an ejection over the incident.
Valdez, who joined Detroit on a three-year, $115 million contract this offseason, came into the evening with a solid 3.35 ERA but saw that number balloon to 4.57 after allowing seven earned runs — with three more unearned runs in the mix — over just three innings.
The southpaw arguably became Detroit’s de facto ace this week when it was revealed Monday that two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal would need surgery on his throwing elbow to remove loose bodies.
Valdez’s first crack at headlining the rotation, however, was one to forget.
