Carlos Gomez, Travis Snider Ejected as Benches Clear During Brewers vs. Pirates

Updates from Tuesday, April 22

Buster Olney of ESPN has the latest on discipline after the brawl in Sunday's game:

Original Text

Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Travis Snider were ejected following Sunday's benches-clearing dispute between the National League Central division rivals at PNC Park.

MLB.com posted video footage of the incident, in which Gomez took off his helmet and appeared to throw punches:

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reported on the ejections, while USA Today baseball's official Twitter account speculated on the likely punishment for Gomez:

Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel noted that a Brewers assistant coach was also ejected:

Gomez had smashed a triple off Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, and after he made it to third, an argument between the two commenced, per McCalvy:

Following the game, Gomez talked about his bat flip and the altercation (via Rosiak and Travis Sawchuk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review):

Gomez also said that he would appeal any potential suspension (via McCalvy):

Cole talked about the incident from his view of things as well (via Sawchuk):

Gomez has come into his own in recent years for Milwaukee. A strong start to the 2014 campaign backed up Gomez's first All-Star selection from last season, where he also captured a Gold Glove Award for his work in center. 

He credits his success to his work ethic and approach to the game, as he recently told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick:

"

Even a tough day for me is a good day. It's the way I play the game. I tell everyone, "You don't respect the game when you don't play hard enough." Every time I step on the field, I play 101 percent. That shows respect for the game and my teammates and the other team.

"

Snider, meanwhile, began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays and arrived in Pittsburgh during the 2012 season, playing in 111 games. He wasn't in the lineup for Sunday's game but was clearly intent on defending his teammates regardless.

Entering the day, the Brewers held the best record in baseball at 13-5, but losing Gomez for an extended period of time would undoubtedly put their league-best mark in jeopardy. 

Fighting in sports is an unfortunate reality, but the bottom line is that it's against the rules. With it being early in the season, MLB could make an example of Gomez to help deter benches-clearing confrontations going forward. 

Without a doubt, this is a bad look for the Brewers as they try to snap a two-year postseason absence.