WATCH: Wild video surfaces of Pirates’ Dennis Santana swinging at fans from dugout

Player interaction during baseball games is not unusual, but Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana was involved in an incident with a fan on Thursday.

During the series finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, the Pirates pitcher lost his cool and swung at a fan seated behind the Pirates' bullpen.

Santana was seen pointing at a fan wearing a Pirates jersey and a Tigers hat with security personnel beside him, before reaching over the fence and taking a swing. The Pirates reliever did not appear to make contact.

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Following the controversial incident, the Pirates reliever was called on the mound with the game tied at 4-4 in the ninth inning after Detroit fought back from 4-0 down. However, he pitched just 0.1 innings before rain interrupted. He was taken off the mound for David Bednar after play resumed.

Pirates reliever opens about controversial fan altercation

Following the game, Dennis Santana reflected on the controversial incident. The Pirates closer said the fan in question repeatedly "crossed the line," evoking a reaction from him.

"You guys know me and I’m a calm-demeanor type of person,” Santana said, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “I’ve never had any issues with any of the teams that I’ve played for and I guess the guy crossed the line a few times. I would not like to go into it.”

Altjhough Santana claimed the fan crossed the line, he didn't disclose what was said to him and admitted he shouldn't have lost his cool.

“They crossed the line too many times,” Santana said. “It doesn’t justify my actions, but it was too much.”

It wasn't the only fan altercation frommthe game as veteran slugger Tommy Pham was also involved in a controversial incident in the tenth inning of the game. The fan was ejected after the game for "inappropriate comments,” per an MLB spokesperson.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash