“We’d like to see a few more of their guys suspended” - When Rays manager Joe Maddon blamed the Red Sox for starting a brawl

Things got heated between Joe Maddon's Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox on a June night during the 2008 season. Early into the game, Tampa Bay's James Shields hit Boston's Coco Crisp squarely on the hip.

Crisp initially looked to be on his way to first base but dropped his helmet and charged the mound. This incited a crazy benches-clearing brawl that quickly got ugly.

Both sides went at it until they were eventually separated. Afterward, Maddon defended the actions of his players. He was happy with the way they handled themselves, per The Ledger.

"I want to be very clear: I defend everything our guys did. I feel actually proud of the way we handled the situation that was presented," Maddon said.

However, five players for Tampa Bay got suspended for their actions, while only three Boston players received suspensions. Maddon wanted to see the league discipline Boston more for their role in the brawl.

"We'd like to see a few more of their guys suspended. They started it, but we had more guys thrown out. The perpetrator's crime is way too close to us," Maddon said.

For the Red Sox, Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, and Sean Casey were suspended for a few games each. James Shields, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Carl Crawford, and Akinori Iwamura were handed suspension on the Rays' side.

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Rays manager Joe Maddon was critical of Red Sox slugger's slide the night before

Tampa Bay Rays - Joe Maddon (Photo via IMAGN)

Things were heated between the Rays and the Red Sox because of an instance that happened the previous night. Joe Maddon was critical of Coco Crisp's slide into second base.

Maddon claimed that Crisp intentionally slid into the base late. Crisp claimed that Tampa Bay's shortstop had blocked the bad a few innings prior, which caused him to hurt his hand.

The two teams would eventually meet back up in the postseason later that year. They played a great series that went seven games to decide the winner.

Tampa Bay would get out to a quick 3-1 series lead, but Boston was able to claw their way back. They were even able to win a game after being down 7-0 in Game 5.

However, Tampa Bays took Game 7, sending them to their first World Series in the organization's history. However, they would eventually lose to the Philadelphia Phillies.