Tyler Austin isn't expecting any punches to be thrown this time around.
The New York Yankees first baseman was at the forefront of a benches-clearing brawl with the Boston Red Sox in early April, but he doesn't believe any bad blood will carry over when the two teams hook up in the Bronx for a three-game set opening Tuesday.
"I just expect it to be a good series," Austin told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. "That's what I'm expecting. I'm not expecting anything else. I'm just expecting it to be a good series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. That's all I'm expecting."
Austin spiked Red Sox second baseman Brock Holt on a slide into second base during the third inning on April 11. In the seventh, Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly hit Austin with a pitch, prompting him to charge the mound. Both players were suspended.
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)
If the two are to face one another again in the series, Austin doesn't expect anything out of the ordinary.
"I expect it to be a normal at-bat," he said. "I don't expect any more controversy, I should say. So I think it should be business as usual."
Kelly has received plenty of positive attention from Red Sox fans since the brawl. He was given a loud ovation at Fenway Park in his first appearance after the fight and also was cheered when shown on the scoreboard at a Boston Bruins playoff game. When asked about the upcoming series against the long-time rivals, Kelly offered a bit of a different perspective on what he expects.
"Hopefully we'll be fighting all season long ... metaphorically," Kelly told Rob Bradford of WEEI.
