5 ejected during separate incidents

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Miguel Olivo charged the mound after being hit by a pitch from D.J. Carrasco in the fifth inning Sunday, touching off a benches-clearing brawl between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.

Two innings later, Royals starter Zack Greinke was ejected with one out in the seventh when he hit Nick Swisher with a pitch after both dugouts had been warned. Royals manager Trey Hillman was also ejected.

Carrasco was just brought in from the bullpen to replace starter Clayton Richard in the 14-3 loss to the Royals. Carrasco threw a pitch high and tight to Olivo, who ducked out of the way, and the ball struck his bat for a foul. On the ensuing pitch, Carrasco hit Olivo on the wrist and the Royals’ catcher charged the mound.

“I closed my eyes and went to the mound,” Olivo said. “In that situation, most of the pitchers don’t throw me inside, but sliders away. If he would have hit me with the first pitch, I would have went to first base, but three times were inside. It seemed so obvious to me. I just do what I needed to do.”

Olivo pulled up as if he was ready to punch Carrasco, a former Royals pitcher, when White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski grabbed him from behind. Olivo instead hit Pierzynski in the head, and by then both dugouts and bullpens had rushed the field.

“It is a good thing I stopped,” Olivo said. “When Pierzynski got me, that made me more angry. I tried to punch and I don’t know who I got. I just wanted to deal with the pitcher, but Pierzynski got me from behind and everybody coming (from dugouts) and I said, ‘OK, it’s on.”’

Order was restored and Olivo, Carrasco and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen were ejected.

Guillen said Carrasco did not intend to hit Olivo because the bases were loaded.

Umpire crew chief Gary Cederstrom said he thought otherwise.

“He threw three up and in on the guy,” Cederstrom said. “(Greinke hitting Swisher) was also deemed intentional, too.”

Earlier this season, White Sox reliever Octavel Dotel hit Olivo with a pitch.

Olivo began this season suspended for the first four games after throwing a punch at Jose Reyes of the New York Mets during the final weekend of last season while with the Florida Marlins, also igniting a benches-clearing brawl.