Rays' Siri, Brewers' Uribe trade punches as benches clear

Tensions reached a boiling point in the eighth inning of Tuesday's game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.

Brewers reliever Abner Uribe and Rays outfielder Jose Siri exchanged words after a groundout to start the inning. Things quickly escalated, as Uribe and Siri came to blows, exchanging punches. The fracas led to both benches clearing with Uribe and Siri needing to be restrained by teammates.

Both players were ejected from the game.

"When I went to first base, I just went there normal and he kind of hit me on the shoulder, so I asked him why did he do that? And he just said, 'Because I felt like it,'" Siri said postgame, according to Bally Sports Sun.

Siri added that Uribe started the altercation by throwing the first punch and he only responded to that.

"From right there, nothing was said. That's when he threw the first punch and I defended myself with the two punches," he said.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy and starting pitcher Freddy Peralta were tossed earlier in the contest after Peralta drilled Siri on a 3-0 pitch.

Siri admired a home run he hit in the third inning.

"It's my first time that I got ejected from a game in seven seasons," Peralta said, according to Bally Sports Wisconsin. "There's no reason for me to hit him."