Tempers flared between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox on Saturday due to an all too familiar subject: sign stealing.
This time, though, it was the Astros who took exception when relief pitcher Hector Neris thought Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story was tipping pitches as he led off from second base. Neris intentionally balked Story to third base as catcher Carlos Narváez was hitting in the bottom of the seventh inning. Narváez grounded out to short with two outs to end the inning, so the balk didn't cause the Astros any harm.
Neris made his thoughts known to Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson on the way to the dugout which caused both benches and bullpens to clear. Hudson laughed off Neris's barking as the minor dust up began. You can watch the full strange sequence below:
Benches clear in Boston after Hector Neris intentionally balked Trevor Story to third base because he thought Story was relaying signs. Neris had words for the Red Sox third base coach coming off the field pic.twitter.com/MxWccFu7F9
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 2, 2025
The Red Sox broadcast explained that Story was likely viewing Neris's grip in his glove and communicating it on to Narváez at the plate. The skirmish didn't escalate into anything serious with not even a shove exchanged.
The Red Sox beat the Astros 7-3 for their fourth win in a row. Story hit a two-run home run in the third inning to give his team a lead that they never gave back.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Benches Clear Between Astros and Red Sox After Reliever Believes Runner Tipped Signs.
