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Things got intense during the second inning of Tuesday’s wild-card matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets.
Brewers shortstop Willy Adames had a heated exchange with his former teammate Jesse Winker as he rounded the bases, though it’s unclear what the two said to each other. After the game, Adames addressed the situation, saying he was surprised by his old teammate.
“I don’t know what was going through his head but he just started saying some stuff and I just said something back,” Adames said. “I think that’s the kind of player he is, it is what it is… That was surprising that he was saying so much stuff. But like I said, that’s part of his personality. It was just a little bit of a surprise to me. But we don’t back off.”
Winker had less to say about the situation, instead turning his attention to Wednesday’s matchup.
“I don’t really want to speak on it,” he said. “I just want to focus on the game tomorrow.”
He did, however, clarify that he didn’t say anything to Adames when he was rounding the bases.
“If y’all think I’m able to run and talk, you don’t know my athletic abilities,” Winker said.
On the play that sparked the altercation, Winker hit an RBI triple to right field to tie things up.
New York later took a 3-2 lead in the second after Starling Marte hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Winker.
The Brewers regained the lead in the fourth inning before the Mets tied things and ultimately pulled away in the top of the fifth, taking an 8-4 lead that held as the final score.
It took New York until the final day of the regular season to clinch a spot in the postseason, beating the Atlanta Braves on Monday to secure a playoff berth. After their first game of the postseason, the Mets have a 1-0 lead on the Brewers and need just one more win to advance to the divisional series.
Winker, who was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Mets earlier this year, spent the 2023 season alongside Adames and the Brewers. His history with the team was certainly a factor coming into the series, and fans saw things heat up early on Tuesday.