BOSTON — Tensions flared between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park during a 6-1 Red Sox victory, leading to a benches-clearing incident in the bottom of the fifth inning. The confrontation was triggered by an inside pitch from Yankees starter Will Warren to Boston catcher Willson Contreras, who took exception to the fastball but was not hit.

Contreras, who already had a productive night with an RBI single in the first inning and a solo home run in the third, drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch that he appeared to interpret as aggressive. After reaching first base, Contreras flipped his bat and exchanged words with Warren while jogging to the bag. Both benches and bullpens promptly emptied onto the field, though no physical altercation occurred.

Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Red Sox first base coach Pablo Cabrera, along with umpire Clint Vondrak, stepped in to prevent escalation. Additionally, Yankees injured players Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton separately intervened to separate players, while reliever Fernando Cruz helped calm Contreras and some teammates with pats on the chest. Both teams received warnings from officials, but no ejections were issued.

Contreras has a reputation as a batter who crowds the plate and has been hit by pitches 143 times in his career, second only to Starling Marte among active players. Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Contreras’ tendencies, suggesting that the batter’s approach influences pitching strategy. Boone also described the back-and-forth as somewhat “ridiculous,” adding that the Yankees probably needed to be more aggressive in pitching inside.

Warren, who gave up five earned runs over 5.2 innings and saw his earned run average rise to 3.75, said his intent was simply to make a competitive pitch up and in, but admitted to exchanging words with Contreras after the latter’s remarks. Contreras downplayed the incident afterward, saying, “It’s part of the game,” and described the bench-clearing as appearing worse than it actually was.

On the mound for Boston, southpaw Payton Tolle dominated, allowing only one baserunner—a sixth-inning single off a misplayed ball by Spencer Jones—in seven scoreless innings. Tolle struck out seven and walked two while throwing 88 pitches. The Red Sox offense capitalized early and put the Yankees in an 0-2 hole in the series with only three hits total.

The rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox, historically known for its intensity, has quieted somewhat in recent years. Friday’s incident provided a reminder of the competitive heat that can still emerge between the two AL East rivals, even as each team navigates season challenges.