Red Sox ‘wanted to bury’ Orioles after Blaze Alexander incident

Bury them, they did. Boston shut out Baltimore for a second straight night, winning 5-0 on Saturday.

Sonny Gray fired a shot at Blaze Alexander after Saturday night’s thumping of the Orioles. AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

Baltimore Orioles utility player Blaze Alexander may have inadvertently lit a fire underneath the Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray told reporters after the game Boston “wanted to bury” the Orioles on Saturday night following Friday’s benches-clearing incident.

“We wanted to kind of bury these guys, especially after that — whatever that dude was trying to do last night,” Gray said unprovoked after his excellent outing.

Alexander started a kerfuffle at second base in the eighth inning on Friday after he took exception to Red Sox second baseman Nick Sogard looking back at him after sliding into second on a double play. Sogard said there was no bad intention behind his look — he simply wanted to see how far he had slid.

Alexander initiated a shouting match with Sogard, which drew both dugouts and bullpens onto the diamond.

Cooler heads visibly prevailed the rest of the game and on Saturday night. But Gray’s postgame comments imply the Red Sox didn’t mentally put Alexander’s actions behind them.

Boston’s second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa gave Alexander — who also fielded 2B for Baltimore on Saturday — a taste of his own medicine. Kiner-Falefa imitated Alexander’s mannerisms from Friday in front of him after hitting a two-run double to put his team up 5-0 in the seventh inning. Just as Alexander tried to pump up the Camden Yards crowd as arguments took place on the field the night before, Kiner-Falefa did the same after his impactful play.

Postgame, Kiner-Falefa offered an epic explanation for his celebration at second following his double.

“You know what it was,” he said when NESN’s Jahmai Webster asked him what it meant. “I think everybody knows what it was. Just trying to pump the crowd up. Felt good to pump the crowd up for something good happening, not a double play.”

Kiner-Falefa’s humorous celebration was warranted, especially considering his knock was the final nail in the coffin for the Orioles. The Red Sox ultimately won 5-0, won the weekend series, and further improved their chances at competing in the playoffs.

Boston will happily attempt to complete a sweep of Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. Eastern Time with Payton Tolle facing off against Kyle Bradish.