New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge didn't understand why Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad was so angered by teammate Pablo Reyes's maneuver at second base, which irked Kjerstad and led to the benches clearing during Wednesday's game.

"Yeah it was a weird bench clearing," Judge said while speaking to reporters after the Yankees' 5-4 loss to the Orioles. "The guy's [Reyes] jumping up to make a play. I don't know what he's [Kjerstad] all mad about. But I don't know about a rivalry. We've got a job to do. We're just out here to play ball."

In the bottom of the fourth inning with no outs and the count full, Kjerstad, who was on first base, took off for second on a stolen base attempt. Yankees catcher Austin Wells's throw careened skyward and forced Reyes to leap into the air to corral the ball. As Reyes was airborne, his left foot made contact with Kjerstad's head, to the chagrin of the Orioles outfielder.

Kjerstad immediately had words for Reyes, leading to the benches clearing—and one very memorable reaction from Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay.

Order was eventually restored, though the umpiring crew did issue a warning to both teams. After the game, Reyes explained to reporters that he was simply trying to "make a play" to prevent the ball from sailing overhead into the outfield.

"Especially on a play like that, you're just trying to make a play there,” Reyes said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “It happens in the game when you're competing sometimes. It's out of your control sometimes, the intensity that can come up."

Kjerstad, meanwhile, downplayed the incident after the game.

"We got tangled up there," Kjerstad said. "Emotions from both sides kind of went up. I don't think it was too much."

It's not the first time Kjerstad has taken a hit to the head against the Yankees. Last July, he was plunked in the head by then-Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes, sparking a heated fracas.

By comparison, Wednesday's benches-clearing incident was mild.

"Just a high throw, and Pablo jumped and bumped him," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "So I don't think anything more than that. It was really not that big a deal. I think it was probably a misunderstanding."

Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde agreed.

"I had somebody run in front of me, so I didn’t exactly see what happened," Hyde said. "It sounded like Heston and Reyes got tangled up a little bit. I didn’t think it was much."

The Yankees and Orioles next play in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium, beginning on June 20.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Puzzled by Orioles Player's Angry Reaction That Led to Benches Clearing .

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