The benches and bulls were cleared during a heated altercation that turned a baseball game into a push-and-fight game in the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Francisco Lindor punches in the face by Steve Cishek. Getty Images The benches are cleared during the Mets-Nationals match. Getty Images The benches are cleared during the Mets-Nationals match. AP With no one out and Starling Marte in second place, Lindor was pitted, but a quick ball from the consolation Steve Cishek hit his head. It was not clear exactly where the ball hit, but Lindor hit the ground and the Mets – led by coach Buck Swalter – started pouring onto the pitch while pointing to Cisek. The sides pressed and pushed for a few minutes before separating. Cishek was sent off and Lindor left after being taken care of by a coach. Schwalter said the Mets were unhappy when James McCann was hit twice on Thursday and Pete Alonso was hit by a field that was grazing from his shoulder and hitting the blade of his helmet. Mets key player Max Scherzer hit Washington’s Josh Bell in the lower leg in the second inning on a cold night, which may have affected the way the pitchers could catch the ball. “It’s dangerous,” Showalter said before the game. “If them [catcher] is set up under the striker and inside, you better have the command there. I did this with pitchers: If he has no command, you can not let him play there. “Or you can not let him build your club.”
