Mat Latos played with an edge during his major league career, and on Saturday, he showed it has not subsided in the independent leagues when he incited a benches-clearing brawl.
After Latos’ catcher was knocked over at the plate on a throw home from left field, Latos, now a pitcher for the New Jersey Jackals of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, followed it up against the next Rockland Boulders batter with one pitch inside and one over the head.
Then, a few words were exchanged between Latos and several Boulders players and the benches cleared. Latos body-slammed an opposing player and several punches were thrown from various players during the brawl that calmed after about a minute.
Latos, 30, last pitched in the major leagues in April 2017 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He played nine years in the majors, debuting as a 21-year-old for the San Diego Padres in 2009. From 2010-14, he posted a 3.27 ERA, but he struggled to reach that level in the years following, accumulating a 5.05 ERA.
Now it seems he’s trying to keep his baseball dreams alive in the independent leagues. With the Jackals, he has a 5.14 ERA in 21 innings.
