Nolan Arenado throws punches in benches-clearing brawl with Padres

The Colorado Rockies star third baseman Nolan Arenado will likely face a suspension from Major League Baseball after his actions in a wild brawl Wednesday, in which he threw punches after nearly being hit by a pitch.

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The incident began in the third inning, when San Diego Padres starter Luis Perdomo threw behind Arenado. Arenado immediately tossed his bat aside and furiously charged the mound.

Perdomo wanted no part of Arenado. After throwing his glove at the charging third baseman, Perdomo immediately began backing up. Arenado attempted to land a few wild punches while running at Perdomo. It’s unclear if any of them connected.

Arenado’s outburst caused both benches to empty. It was too tough to tell from the wide view on the broadcast, but the scrum seemed to be a little more violent than normal. And after a brief lull, another scrum took place a few seconds later.

Players weren’t out there keeping the peace as much as usual, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a few players receive suspensions once the league examines the full video.

Arenado remained pretty angry even after being separated from the fray. A number of players were trying to get him to calm down. Not just teammates, either. Both Mark McGwire and Eric Hosmer were trying to defuse the situation. Rockies outfielder Carlos González was making sure Arenado stayed out of any more trouble.

Once the umps got the situation under control, five players were ejected from the game. Including Arenado and both starting pitchers.

Games between both clubs have already featured a number of hit batters this season. In seven games, six different players have been hit. A.J. Ellis, Christian Villanueva, Jose Pirela and Manuel Margot had all been hit by pitches prior to Wednesday’s game. Margot was placed on the disabled list Wednesday with bruised ribs.

That may have been a key factor in Wednesday’s brawl. Rockies shortstop Trevor Story was hit by a pitch in the first inning of the contest, possibly as retaliation for Margot.

In the second inning, the Rockies escalated the situation, hitting Hunter Renfroe with two outs.

After the events of the first couple innings, Arenado was in no mood to quietly take his base. A week’s worth of frustration boiled over Wednesday. That might explain why Arenado erupted as quickly as he did.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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