Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole turned in a strong performance Sunday against the Brewers, but it was overshadowed by a brawl that erupted in the third inning.
After Carlos Gomez's two-out triple in the top of the third inning, Cole seemed to be unhappy with Gomez's actions at the plate and let him know about it by shouting at Gomez. Cole walked away before the brawl erupted, but fists started flying once the benches emptied. Gomez was ejected from the game, as well as Pirates outfielder Travis Snider, but Cole was allowed to continue despite his actions triggering the melee.
"I didn’t curse at him. I didn’t try to provoke a fight. I was frustrated and I let my emotions get the better of me," Cole said. "(I said) 'If you’re going to hit a home run, you can watch it. If you’re going to hit a fly ball to center field, don’t watch it.'"
Though, Cole didn't seem bothered by the stop in play. He tossed seven scoreless innings to begin his afternoon and didn't give up a run until Mark Reynolds tied the game at 1 with a leadoff homer in the eighth inning. Cole was in line for the win before Milwaukee tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the ninth.
Cole was charged with one run on six hits and one walk in eight innings, while striking out three. His next scheduled start is for Friday against the Cardinals. Cole earned a win in his first start of the season against St. Louis April 4, allowing two earned runs in seven innings.