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Souza unapologetic for hard slide into Tulo, 2nd base

Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

Tensions bubbled to a boil at Tropicana Field when benches cleared between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays after Rays outfielder Steven Souza slid hard into Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in a play at second base.

After the game, an exasperated Souza told reporters he just wanted to move past the incident, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

"I'm not going to play every game and wonder if Tulo is going to get upset about it," Souza said. "Hopefully we can just squash it and move on, because I'm really tired of having a feud with them."

Souza maintained he was not trying to be "malicious," and that he was just playing hard, attributing to the incident as simply being "baseball."

After drawing a lead-off walk, Souza charged second base on a Logan Morrison ground ball, attempting a slide where he appeared to kick out his left leg prompting Tulowitzki to dance out of the way as he applied the tag.

While things escalated on the field rather quickly, Tulowitzki had more measured words during the postgame. He explained that he took issue with the slide for its tardiness and potential to cause harm, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports.

"I definitely respect the game. I think it was a little late, and figured I should say something," Tulowitzki said. "Not so much for myself, but for other guys maybe in the future - try to save injuries. I just felt it was a little late."

Sunday's 7-2 Rays victory ended the series between the reluctant rivals. The Rays travel to Toronto for a three-game set beginning April 28. Any retaliation will surely be on display unless tempers subside in the intervening weeks.

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