In the middle of a July game during the 2014 MLB season, tempers flared between Chicago Cubs slugger Anthony Rizzo and Cincinnati Reds flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. Chapman, known for being a high-velocity arm, threw two fastballs high and inside to Chicago's Nate Schierholtz.
Chapman proceeded to strike out Schierholtz later in the at-bat and stared down Chicago's dugout. Rizzo took exception to that and had some words across the field. When the inning came to an end, Chapman stared and waved at the Cubs' dugout, and it was on.
Both dugouts came rushing the field, and there was a lot of pushing and shoving going on. However, Rizzo was not worried about this incident becoming a common occurrence between the two clubs, via former Cincinnati Enquirer writer C. Trent Rosecrans.
"We just said hello, shook hands, and congratulated each other. It is what it was. I don't think there will be any backlash," Rizzo said as the two participated together as NL All-Stars.
Rizzo and Chapman were both selected to represent the National League as All-Stars that year. When the two saw each other, neither player was seeing red.
"I don't have bad blood at all. The next time we face each other, we'll be competing like we always do" Rizzo said.
Anthony Rizzo and Aroldis Chapman went from heated exchanges to teammates on two different teams
It was a good thing there was no bad blood between Anthony Rizzo and Aroldis Chapman after the benches-clearing brawl. They would end up being teammates later down the road on two separate occasions.
In 2016, Chapman was traded to the Cubs in exchange for Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Adam Warren, and Rashad Crawford. He was vital in Chicago's World Series victory that year.
Ahead of the 2021 season, Rizzo was traded to the New York Yankees. He would rejoin Chapman, who was working with a five-year deal in the Bronx.
Chapman would stay in New York until the end of the 2022 season when his contract expired. After that, he played the 2023 season with the Kansas City Royals and then the World Series-winning Texas Rangers.
Chapman signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason and just passed Billy Wagner for most strikeouts by a left-handed reliever. Rizzo is currently still in New York on a two-year deal.