'He's just a clown': John Nogowski, Marcus Stroman exchange words, benches clear between Mets and Pirates

PITTSBURGH — In the bottom of the fifth inning, Marcus Stroman and John Nogowski began jawing at one another and it started a benches-clearing incident between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. To begin that same inning, Francisco Lindor exited the game with right side soreness. And throughout the night, the Mets' offense registered a brutal performance. Oh, and there was a rain delay. 

A lot occurred over the course of Friday's game. 

The Mets lost to Pittsburgh, 4-1. The Mets (47-41) were supposed to feast on the Pirates but, dating back to last weekend, they've now lost three of five against one of baseball's worst teams.

“It’s frustrating to lose every game," catcher James McCann said. "Any game that you lose is frustrating. I’ve never walked away from a loss and not been frustrated, so it honestly doesn’t matter who your opponent is."

Let's go through the components of this loss. 

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The benches-clearing incident 

In the bottom of the fifth, Stroman got Nogowski to line out with a man on third to end the inning. Stroman jumped and celebrated, to which Nogowski appeared to take exception. 

Stroman was headed toward the dugout, but turned around and began yelling at Nogowski, who had appeared to bark at Stroman. The two met between home plate and the pitcher's mound, and McCann tried to separate them as the benches and bullpens cleared. 

“Put my head down literally looking at our dugout — you can look at our video — and he starts running his mouth saying that I’m talking (expletive)," Stroman said. "I’m never one to let any man talk down on me, especially when it’s not warranted at all. He’s just a clown, man."

Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner eventually calmed down Stroman, who then hunched over before running off the field. Stroman said his toe hurt, so he wanted to make sure it was OK. 

Mets manager Luis Rojas was out there trying to restore order. The Mets' starters were in the mix, their relievers on the fringes. 

Over the course of the top of the sixth, Stroman (in the dugout) and Nogowski (playing first base) continued chirping one another. Stroman said he was just asking Nogowski why he was "running away after talking all that (expletive)." 

“He started to kind of backpedal, his face got all red and he started to get off the field," Stroman said. "I was just wondering why he was running away."

McCann said it was all a misunderstanding. He said he talked to Nogowski when he got on base in the ninth. McCann said Nogowski told him: “I don’t have anything against anybody. I wasn’t intending for something to happen.”

Stroman's involvement in this might've been the most life the Mets showed all night. 

He regularly pitches with emotion. It's who he is, who he'll always be. 

He feels some take offense to it.

"Hitters get on first base and do the macarena when they get a broken-bat single at times, and I don’t say anything," Stroman said. "It’s ridiculous. You see plenty of guys showing emotion these days, especially pitchers. To be honest with you, I purposely have told myself to show less emotion and I’ve been extremely reserved out there and quiet. If I have any emotion, it’s toward our dugout — it’s never at the other team, it’s never at any other players, and they know that."

Added Rojas: "He’s a guy that pitches with emotion, he has fun out there. Somebody doesn’t like it, I just don’t understand why. Let him have fun. A lot of people are having fun in this game. ...If you get to beat him in an at-bat or something and you celebrate, nobody does anything about it. I just don’t understand it at this point."

Lindor exits game early

Sure, Lindor could be doing more offensively this season. 

The Mets never wanted to see this, though. 

He departed with right side tightness. He'll receive tests on Saturday morning, Rojas said. 

“My level of concern right now, it’s obviously high just from not knowing (how serious it is)," Rojas said.

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. 

Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com; Twitter: @justinctoscano