I remember growing up in organized sports and playing and practicing with the same people over the course of several months. At some point you tend to get on each other’s nerves, and arguments occur. So I can’t blame Chone Figgins for getting into an altercation. However, in my lifetime of kiddie and high school sports, never once did I challenge the coach nor did they try to pick a fight with me. As the leader of the Mariner’s clubhouse, manager Don Wakamatsu has no excuse for getting into what ESPN news services called a “brawl” with Figgins.

On Friday night, Figgins appeared to give up on a play in the field in the top of the fifth inning which led to Boston Red Sox’s Mike Cameron getting an extra base. Figgins let a throwin in from left fiender Michael Saunders bounce a few feet to his left and he let it go past the bag without moving toward it. That lack of effort gave Cameron his opportunity.

The video shows what happened after the inning:

According to Mike McCall of MLB.com, Wakamatsu and Figgins exchanged words in the dugout and then a skirmish brok out involving several member of the team. “TV replays showed Jose Lopez — with Figgins behind him — being restrained by Jack Wilson and Ryan Rowland-Smith while Russell Branyan was held back by multiple teammates.”

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times attempts to clarify the situation:
From what we could determine tonight, a heated exchange erupted once Wakamatsu told Figgins he was being pulled from the contest after failing to back up that Michael Saunders throw in the fifth inning. Figgins tried to argue his case and things deteriorated from there.

In the end, players were jumping in left and right to separate the two and pull each other away. Jose Lopez had his jersey pulled off when a coach yanked him away from the fray. We could not determine whether Lopez was part of the initial fight or a separate one, though the more likely explanation seems that he was merely one of those intervening between Wakamatsu and Figgins. A television replay I saw seemed to suggest that.

Wakamatsu said it was Figgins’ responsibility to catch Saunders’ errant throw.