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Things did not stay classy in San Diego.
Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia enraged the Padres’ bench Wednesday night after plunking a batter immediately following a game-changing two-run homer in the 4-1 road loss in Game 2 that ended Chicago’s season rather unceremoniously.
One person on the Padres bench clearly shouted, “F–k you,” toward Palencia after Jake Cronenworth took a 100-mph 3-0 offering right in the back, while others seemed quite miffed.
A trainer attended to Palenica right after the hit by pitch, with one of the Peacock broadcasters noting they did not believe he hit Cronenworth on purpose.
The scene unfolded in the fourth inning after Palencia — a reliever — allowed a two-run homer to pinch-hitting Gavin Sheets that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-1 hole.
Palenica then fired three balls to Cronenworth before his fourth hit him in the back, resulting in the latter staring down the reliever while the fans booed loudly.
Craig Counsell and medical staffers then checked on Palencia, who recorded the final out of the inning and then pitched a clean fifth inning.
That he would hit Cronenworth right in the typical spot for a beaning immediately after surrendering a homer certainly raised some flags, although the trainer coming out indicated something being amiss.
Tempers eventually cooled but the Cubs’ bats never heated up and they exited the postseason being outscored 12-1 over the two games.
Their line run came on a fourth-inning RBI single by Nico Hoerner but the good vibes didn’t last long before Sheets took Palenica deep to make it a three-run game.
The Cubs have now lost in the NLDS and Wild Card in back-to-back years, raising questions about this team’s ceiling.
“It didn’t go well here. We just didn’t play well enough. They’re playing really well. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively obviously,” Counsell said.
“Look, it’s the end of the season is — when you’re in this position, you’re going to be disappointed. You’re going to feel unfulfilled, and you can’t — that’s just dominating everything you feel right now. Maybe as you reflect, I think I can get to some better places. Right now that’s all I feel.”
