Tempers flared in Detroit Tuesday night as the Boston Red Sox routed the Tigers 10-2, but the final score wasn't the only story. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy didn't mince words after the game, calling Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez "weak" for hitting shortstop Trevor Story with a 94-mph fastball in the fourth inning.

The incident sparked a benches-clearing confrontation along the first-base line at Comerica Park, adding fuel to an already heated matchup. Tracy, visibly frustrated, said in his postgame press conference, "I thought it was weak, and I thought everybody saw it. Their side, our side, I think everybody saw it. And yeah, it was weak."

Valdez, however, denied any intent to hit Story, claiming the pitch got away from him after serving up back-to-back home runs to start the fourth. "It was not intentional," Valdez insisted. "It was not on purpose. It might look like that, but it wasn't. I was trying to throw strikes after the two consecutive home runs. I was trying to go back in the zone, and that pitch came out of my hand. It wasn't on purpose at all."

The drama unfolded after a rollercoaster game. Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela launched a three-run homer in the first inning to set the tone, but the Tigers clawed back with two runs in the bottom half. Boston blew the game open with a five-run third inning, then put the final nail in the coffin when first baseman Willson Contreras and right fielder Wilyer Abreu went back-to-back off Valdez to start the fourth.

When Story stepped to the plate next, Valdez's pitch sailed high and inside, catching him on the left shoulder. Story expressed his frustration, and both benches emptied as players poured onto the field. Order was eventually restored, and the game continued without further incident.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch called the outburst "a low moment of a frustrating night," adding, "We play a really good brand of baseball here. That didn't feel like it. It's not judging intent. I have no idea. But I know when you go out on the field and you end up sort of in those confrontations, you usually feel like you're in your own head."

For the Red Sox, the win was a bright spot, but the postgame fireworks stole the spotlight. As the dust settles, all eyes will be on whether this heated exchange carries over to future matchups between these two teams.