Former Royals player was punched in the head during Yankees-Red Sox brawl

Hey, sometimes a pitch gets away, right?

That was Boston pitcher Joe Kelly's excuse after his fastball drilled Yankees first baseman Tyler Austin in the ribs during Wednesday night's game at Fenway Park and started a benches-clearing brawl.

It just so happens that Red Sox players were already upset with Austin after a spikes-up slide into shortstop Brock Holt earlier in the game.

Kelly insisted it was unintentional.

"I walk a batter per inning, so it’s not like I have Greg Maddux command," Kelly told reporters after the game.

Here is what happened (video from Major League Baseball):

If you're wondering if any punches were landed, there was at least one: Austin drilled Red Sox third-base coach Carlos Febles in the head. Royals fans may remember Febles, who played all six of his big-league seasons with the Royals.

Febles, who was one-half of the "Dos Carlos" combo with Carlos Beltran, is probably a little sore today because of this:

This story was originally published April 12, 2018 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Former Royals player was punched in the head during Yankees-Red Sox brawl."