Ubaldo Jimenez Beams Troy Tulowitzki, Starts MLB’s First Bench Clearing Brawl Of 2012

Indian’s pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez wasted no time before going after his former teammate Troy Tulowitzki. When the Rockies’ shortstop stepped up to his first at bat of the game, Ubaldo hurled a fast boy directly at Tulowitzki and hit him in the left elbow.

Jimenez walked off the mound toward the plate and the benches from both sides rushed onto the field.

Jimenez was not ejected from the game but Rockies’ manager Jim Tracy said that he was going to talk to commissioner Bud Selig about having Jimenez suspended. The Denver Post reports that since it was an exhibition game, there is no video of the incident, Selig was, however, in attendance at Salt River Fields.

Tracy said:

“It’s the most gutless act I have seen in 35 years of professional baseball. I have lost all respect for him. To do something like that and walk down off the mound, and if there’s any suggestion whatsoever that the ball got away, I don’t want to hear any of that (expletive). He intentionally threw at him. He should be suspended. I am going to be very disappointed if he doesn’t get suspended. He deserves to be.”

Tulowitzki left the game and was taken to a hospital to have his elbow examined. According to the Denver Post, there was no significant damage to the elbow.

Jimenez said after the game that he did not intentionally throw at Tulowitzki. Jimenez said:

“He is one of the best hitters in the game. I tried to get inside on him. It was a pitch that got away. That happens in about a thousand games. The thing that got started was, he was calling me out (from the batters box). I mean, I’m a man. If somebody calls me out, I have to go. He was calling me chicken. He was calling me names.”

Fox Sports reports that Jimenez expressed his anger with the Rockies during the off-season for not extending his contract. Jiminez was let go while Tulowitzki was given a seven year, $134.5 million extension.