"If you’re going to hit me, hit me in the ribs, don’t hit me in the head" - Mike Trout frustrated with Seattle Mariners bullpen after escaping a close hit to the head

Over the last few seasons, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has been arguably the best hitter in the league. If you are going to throw at him, it's obviously going to cause a reaction from his teammates. The Seattle Mariners went on to win Saturday's game 5-3, but the bad blood between the two teams spilled over into Sunday's game in Anaheim.

"'If you can't pitch inside don’t pitch inside, if you’re gonna hit me hit me in the ribs don't hit me in the head,' Trout on the pitch at his head" - Bally Sports West

Whether Erik Swanson was throwing at Mike Trout intentionally, or just pitching high and inside and missing on his target, is debatable. Mike Trout, though, was not happy about it and was vocal about his displeasure in his post-game interview.

Trout said, "I don’t know if that was the intent, but anything at the head, you don’t do that.”

The Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels clear the benches after Jesse Winker of the Seattle Mariners charged the Angels dugout.

On Sunday, the heated atmosphere on the field was evident. It took just 33 total pitches before Andrew Wantz plunked Jesse Winker in the top of the second inning. That ignited a bench-clearing brawl between the two American League West rivals.

Phil Nevin's late decision to start reliever Andrew Wantz signaled to some that something unusual was about to take place. Nobody saw this coming though. The brawl was arguably the most intense of the season so far, and lasted over 17 minutes.

Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout was vocal about his displeasure at being thrown at

Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels rounds the bases after hitting a home run to center field.

This was not your average brawl. The intent was set out in the first inning when Wantz threw behind Julio Rodriguez's head. That led to a warning from the umpires. Shortly after missing Rodriguez, Wantz made sure he connected the next time around by going after Winker in the next inning, and chaos ensued.

Winker's reaction was instant, and before the umpires could act, he charged the Angels dugout and went right after Phil Nevin. Benches and bullpens cleared. Even after it appeared the umpires had defused the situation, the heated arguments continued in what turned out to be the longest brawl of the season.

"Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch and a never-ending BRAWL broke out between the Mariners and the Angels." - Talkin' Baseball

Winker made an obscene gesture toward the crowd and was chirping with several Angels fans in the stands. Raisel Iglesias was heated when he returned to the Angels dugout and took out his frustrations on the water cooler. He, then, continued to hurl what appeared to be a box of sunflower seeds at the Mariners dugout.

Eight players in total were ejected. Andrew Wantz, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Tepera and interim manager Phil Nevin from the Angels. Jesse Winker, J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez and manager Scott Servais from the Mariners dugout.

"Clearly Erik Swanson wasn't throwing at Mike Trout in a two-run game last night. You want to defend your best player? Fine. Don't throw at someone's head. Doesn't matter if the Trout one also went up there because you know it wasn't intentional." - Ty Dane Gonzalez

Some fans and analysts argued that retaliation by the Angels was uncalled for. They argued that there was no intent from Swanson to hit Mike Trout. But the damage was done on Saturday night. The payback seemed to be on the cards for Sunday's game.

The four-game series ended Sunday night with a 2-1 Angels victory. The Angels and Mariners will face each other another 11 more times this season. It is safe to assume that tensions will also be high for those upcoming matchups.