Yankees torched by Orioles announcers for drilling Gunnar Henderson: ‘Shame on them.’

The New York Yankees appeared to retaliate after watching two of their hitters get plunked, and the Baltimore Orioles announcers did not accept.

Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres absorbed 94 mph fastballs with their hands Tuesday night, prompting speculation over whether the Yankees should retaliate on Wednesday. And in the seventh inning of Baltimore’s 7-6 win Wednesday night, the Yankees seemingly retaliated when reliever Victor Gonzalez plunked Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson on the shoulder.

Orioles broadcasters Kevin Brown and Brett Hollander believed Henderson’s hit by pitch may have been on purpose, and they were livid over the possible vengeance.

Kevin Brown and Brett Hollander react to Gunnar Henderson getting hit by a pitch a day after Aaron Judge was hit. pic.twitter.com/SxyFKXugyk

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“That was right up-and-in and [home plate umpire] Gabe Morales has to warn them now; everyone is chirping for it,” Hollander said on the MASN broadcast.

“Gunnar Henderson handled the situation very maturely yesterday, and whatever this was about, he’s handling it very maturely right now,” Brown added.

Yesterday, Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes threw up-and-in on Henderson after Judge and Torres were hit. Despite their ire over seeing Henderson get hit Wednesday night, Brown and Hollander noted that Gonzalez walks a lot of batters, and it was impossible to know his intent for certain.

“We cannot sit here and say with 100% certainty that he hit Gunnar Henderson [on purpose],” Brown acknowledged. “But here’s what we can say, if the Yankees were thinking about doing something like this, down three in the seventh with the bases empty is the time you might do it. And if they did do it, and if they did throw up and in intentionally to Gunnar Henderson, frankly, shame on them.”

Prior to the game, Orioles reliever Dillon Tate said the Yankees were “justified” in being frustrated over two of their players being hit by pitches Tuesday night. And while Tate understood the Yankees being upset, Baltimore’s announcers couldn’t understand the potential inclination to retaliate.

Retaliation used to be met with a sort of “That’s baseball, Suzyn” type of shrug, with it previously being accepted as part of the game and an unwritten code. But the dangerous practice of intentionally throwing at a hitter is much more frowned upon than it was years ago, regardless of who started it first.

Whether on purpose or not, the Orioles capitalized on Henderson being awarded first base by driving him home later that inning. It ended up being a crucial run in Baltimore’s extra-inning 7-6 victory over their American League East rivals.

[MASN]