Benches cleared in the fourth inning Wednesday night when the Baltimore Orioles took exception to a collision at second base between New York Yankees second baseman Pablo Reyes and outfielder Heston Kjerstad.

Reyes, filling in for the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr., leapt to try and corral a high throw from catcher Austin Wells as Kjerstad attempted to steal second. In midair, Reyes’s right thigh came down on Kjerstad’s head. 

The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have a history of benches-clearing incidents, including this one from July 2024. 

© Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Orioles outfielder immediately got to his feet and turned toward Reyes, clearly upset. Reyes didn’t back down. . Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe tried to step in and Kjerstad shook him off. The two exchanged words before both benches and bullpens emptied

No punches were thrown, and no ejections were issued. Umpires and coaches stepped in quickly to de-escalate the situation. Cooler heads ultimately prevailed, but the moment added heat to an already competitive season between two American League East contenders.

This isn’t the first time Kjerstad has found himself in the middle of a tense moment with the Yankees. Last July, he was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Yankees closer Clay Holmes, which also led to benches clearing and the ejection of Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.

Neither manager seemed interested in letting things boil over this time. Both Aaron Boone and Hyde came onto the field but kept a distance as players converged at second base.

The collision came one night after the Yankees routed the Orioles in a lopsided win, and Baltimore entered Wednesday still trying to find early-season footing.

It came as the Orioles led the Yankees 4–2 in the bottom of the fourth inning of the rubber match of the three-game series at Camden Yards.