Mets, Cardinals clear benches after Lopez goes high and in on Arenado

A testy few days at Busch Stadium finally boiled over into fisticuffs.

The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals engaged in a benches-clearing scuffle in the eighth inning of Wednesday's game after Cardinals star Nolan Arenado took exception to Mets reliever Yoan Lopez's high-and-inside pitch.

Arenado was ejected for starting the brawl; Andrew Knizner finished his at-bat. Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp was also tossed for tackling Mets first baseman Pete Alonso during the scrum.

Lopez was allowed to continue pitching and finished the inning without further incident.

New York pitcher Chris Bassitt expressed frustration on Tuesday after multiple Mets were hit by pitches during this week's series. In the top of the eighth inning Wednesday, Mets third baseman J.D. Davis had to leave after taking a pitch off his foot and ankle. It was the team's league-leading 19th HBP of the season and fifth issued by a Cardinal.

Both Lopez and Mets manager Buck Showalter were adamant there was no intent despite the team's frustrations, according to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News and Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. However, the Cardinals weren't as convinced.

"When you come up top like that and jeopardize someone's career and life, yeah I take exception to that," Cardinals skipper Oliver Marmol said, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.

Arenado said his issue was with the location of Lopez's pitch rather than any sort of retaliation, which he was expecting.

"I get it. I get what's going on in this series, and it's part of the game," the third baseman told reporters, according to Bally Sports Midwest. "But (the pitch was) a little high. ... I'm not saying he's trying to throw it up there, the ball got away, but that's the problem."

When asked if he felt Arenado's reaction was warranted, Showalter replied: "I'll let them handle their players. I know our player got hit in the head and went to first base."

Alonso, who was hit in the helmet earlier in the series, was upset after his altercation with Clapp. The slugger called Clapp's choice to tackle him from behind "cheap," according to DiComo.

"If I wanted to put someone in the hospital I easily could, but I was just out there trying to protect my guys," Alonso added.

St. Louis won the game 10-5, ending the Mets' three-game winning streak. The teams will meet again in a four-game series at Citi Field beginning May 16.