It has been a rough season for the Detroit Tigers, and things just got worse.
During the sixth inning of a 7-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday evening, two members of the Tigers got into a heated exchange in the dugout. The most explosive part of the incident came when shortstop Jose Iglesias pushed catcher James McCann with two hands, but other teammates came between the two players to aid in calming the tension.
Earlier in the inning, Iglesias made a suspect play on what would become a single, and McCann appeared to reference displeasure with Iglesias as a result. When asked about the incident after the game, McCann took the "private" approach to things.
McCann sounds more and more like a Tiger leader. On his scrap with Iglesias: "It's an in-house subject, we got it taken care of."
— Bob Wojnowski (@bobwojnowski) August 8, 2015
The notion that McCann has emerged as a leader for Detroit was further enforced by former Tigers and current Blue Jays left-hander David Price.
James McCann WILL have a C on his chest like Varitek did...he cares and he is a leader!! He will do what needs to be done...
— David Price (@DAVIDprice14) August 8, 2015
Internal references point to James McCann simply enforcing something of a clubhouse culture, but that doesn't change that two teammates engaged in a dugout scrap on camera, and that illustrates the topsy-turvy season for the third-place Tigers.
