Red Sox wanted a piece of Cal Quantrill after heated incident after the game

Several days have passed since the three-game duel between the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies in Denver, but the skirmish in the finale of this series is still a topic of conversation.

On Saturday, it was reported that several Red Sox players attempted to attack Rockies pitcher Cal Quantrill after Colorado’s 20-7 win over Boston last Wednesday. Apparently, the Red Sox did not know what Quantrill had said to Boston catcher Reese McGuire during an on-field confrontation until after the game ended, according to Chris Cotillo of Mass Live.

“Several Red Sox players confirmed anonymously Saturday that the incident in which the benches between the teams were cleared in the fourth inning nearly flared up again after the final out of Colorado’s 20-7 victory. In an incident that briefly brought stadium security to the scene, Red Sox players sought out Rockies starter Cal Quantrill in hopes of confronting him about comments he made during an on-field exchange with backup catcher Reese McGuire.”

In the fourth inning of the Red Sox-Rockies game, the benches cleared and McGuire and Quantrill exchanged words. The animosity seemed to have been sparked by Quantrill celebrating a flyout by McGuire.

When Red Sox players learned what Quantrill had told McGuire, they reportedly launched a postgame operation to track down the Rockies pitcher’s whereabouts. Some of them even camped near the Rockies team bus in the hopes of seeing Quantrill.

“This realization led many Red Sox to want to come back for more – one prominent Sox player was so angry that he asked stadium staff where he could find the home stadium clubhouse, where the Rockies were packing up for an away trip to San Francisco. Red Sox players were also once seen waiting next to Colorado’s team bus.”

There is no definitive transcript of exactly what Quantrill told McGuire, but fans have a vulgar theory about it.

Quantrill earned the win as a pitcher in this showdown against the Red Sox, as he allowed just two earned runs on six hits, two walks and three strikeouts in six innings. It helped Quantrill a lot that his teammates gave him effusive run support as the Rockies faced Boston starter Nick Pivetta, who allowed seven earned runs in just 2.2 innings on the mound.

Despite suffering a tough loss to Colorado, the Red Sox showed a different kind of support to McGuire, the team’s backup catcher.

“I didn’t really think about it too much,” McGuire said Saturday of the wild incident in Colorado. “It was just great to see the love and support from my teammates and coaching staff.”

Trevor Story played a big role in calming a heated situation

Apparently, Red Sox star Trevor Story helped de-escalate the situation and prevent it from becoming violent. Story spent his first six years in the major leagues with the Rockies, so he still knows a lot of people on the other side of Colorado quite well.

“I was in a unique position (being on both teams),” Story explained of his role as peacemaker. “But I didn’t like what was going on.”

Story was a two-time All-Star during his time with the Rockies, who selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. In 2022, Story signed a six-year contract with the Red Sox worth $140 million.