Ex-Mets GM offers bold take on Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr. chaos, recalls Mike Piazza’s infamous clashes with Pedro Martinez & Roger Clemens

Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr. were at the center of controversial HBP incidents yet again on Thursday, as the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres squared off in the finale of their four-game series.

Though the hit-by-pitch incidents of past games only went as far as heated exchanges between the two teams' managers and umpires, Thursday's game saw both benches clear out. Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts and Padres skipper Mike Schildt stormed out of the dugout to confront each other on the field right after Tatis was hit by reliever Jack Little in the top of the ninth.

As soon as the Dodgers came up to bat in the bottom of the inning, closer Robert Suarez seemingly took it upon himself to "exact revenge." The Venezuelan hit Shohei Ohtani with a bruising 100-mile-per-hour pitch, for which he was ejected.

Talking about the benches-clearing episode on MLB Network Radio on Friday, former New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips justified the reaction in the heat of the moment. He also compared Thursday's HBP incidents to instances when Hall of Famer Mike Piazza was targeted by pitchers like Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens.

"When I was Mets general manager, we played the Red Sox in interleague play, and Pedro Martinez hit Piazza in the hand," Phillips said. "I saw the end of our season in that moment, I would have hit Pedro Martinez in that moment.

"Then when we played the Yankees, Piazza was wearing out Roger Clemens, he couldn't get him out, and then Clemens hit him in the head. I wanted to charge the mound and go after him in that moment. I get the emotions that come with it."

Phillips also discussed how the best solution to ensure such on-field confrontations do not take place is "stricter" officiating from the umpires.

"I personally believe the umpiring needs to be aggressive," Phillips said. "If it's even a thought that it could be [intentional], you gotta eject somebody. The issue is, there's gotta be justice for the team that gets hit, when they believe that it's intentional. Justice is not a warning being issued. What justice is, is the first-strike offender's ejected from the game."

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Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr.'s incidents take Dodgers-Padres HBP counter to eight for the series

The bitter rivalry between the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres is one of the most well-known in baseball, and the two teams' animosity for each other was on full display throughout this four-game series.

Shohei Ohtani reacts after being hit by a pitch during Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres - Source: Getty

With two HBP episodes each involving Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages and Fernando Tatis Jr., along with Jose Iglesias and Bryce Johnson also being hit once each, the series came to an end with eight HBP incidents.

The Padres came out on top 5-3 in the series finale at Dodger Stadium, avoiding a sweep in the process.