Cards-Pirates pregame scuffle prompts meeting

PITTSBURGH -- The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates got into a brief shoving match during batting practice Wednesday night, prompting the umpires to hold a pregame meeting with managers Tony La Russa of the Cardinals and Lloyd McClendon of the Pirates.

It did not appear any punches were thrown during the four-minute scuffle, which occurred with the Pirates finishing up their hitting and the Cardinals stretching. St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan and Pittsburgh hitting coach Gerald Perry appeared to be restrained by teammates.

"There was some pushing and shoving, just two competitive clubs," McClendon said.

The Cardinals-Pirates series already had been a rough one before tempers flared. The previous two days, each team had a player injured.

McClendon and La Russa talked behind the batting cage for 10 minutes after the fray. They later met in an eight-minute, closed-door session requested by umpires.

Asked for a comment, La Russa said, "I have nothing to say. How's that for a comment?"

Pittsburgh second baseman Jose Castillo sustained a season-ending knee injury when he collided with Hector Luna while trying to turn a double play in the Cardinals' 3-1 win Monday. The Cardinals' So Taguchi wound up with a bruised hand when he was hit by a pitch from Ryan Vogelsong in the ninth inning of Pittsburgh's 10-0 victory Tuesday.

"I'm sure there were some sensitive feelings as to whether or not some of their players were thrown at intentionally," McClendon said. "I think we got all that straightened out now."

Pirates pitcher Rick White said after Wednesday's game, "I think the whole thing has gotten blown out of proportion. Duncan asked me a question today and probably shouldn't have. If Tony had a question to ask, then Tony should have come up and asked me. I would have talked to him.

"Instead, he went through Duncan and Skip [McClendon] didn't like it too much," White added. "And whatever happened, happened."