Prince Fielder and Barry Zito pick up on feud in Spring Training exhibition game
Bad blood flowed again as a recent encounter between the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers brought an old rivalry, between Prince Fielder and Barry Zito, to the frontlines. The two players got into a little argument in a Cactus League game, which
was held in Phoenix, Arizona. The incident brought old memories to the centre stage as an umpire halted the dispute quickly.
The feud between Zito and Fielder took off in September 2009, when the Milwaukee club managed to upset the Giants in their offseason bid. The game was played at Miller Park and lasted 13 innings. The Brewers had won the encounter and Fielder celebrated the
event by joining his teammates on the hitter’s plate and mimicking bowling pins falling down after a bowling ball strike.
The Giants were not amused by the incident and Zito went on to pitch in the following Spring Training exhibition game against the Brewers. He struck Fielder on his back between the numbers on his jersey. The pitcher hurled his first pitch to Fielder on his
back that heated up the dispute.
Though the incident occurred a year ago, the two players got into a fix again in another game. Fielder spoke to Zito on his way to first base when he was walked by the Giants’ pitcher at Maryvale Baseball Park. Barry’s fourth ball pitch to Fielder looked
to hit the ground. As the pitcher questioned the decision by plate Umpire, Stephen Barga, Prince heckled the ace.
"Prince was letting me know that it was a ball," Zito said.
As Prince reached first base, he didn’t stop talking. That is when another umpire came in to call the two veterans off. Both stars had a different account of the event.
"Yeah, we talked a little bit," Zito said. "Caught up. Asked him how his offseason was. Family's good. No new tattoos."
However Fielder had something else to say about the incident.
"I like Barry, I really do. Scott [Boras, their shared agent] called and we have dinner tonight. I asked him which one we were going to. I said Houston's. He thought Fleming's."
The Brewers’ hitter didn’t want the issue to prolong any further as he hinted that the conversation was not serious in nature.
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