I didn't get a response. If he'd said anything, maybe it would've been a little different, I don't know. Home plate umpire Charlie Reliford quickly jumps between the two players. But it's too late. Long memories prevail, and both benches empty.
Nothing comes of it.
He wasn't throwing the bat at him. There was no intent. Piazza grounds out on the next pitch. But the bullpen could only threaten to spoil this night for Clemens, and the Yankees would hang on to win, 6-5. The Rocket may not have been as dominant as he was in Seattle in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, but it was damn close.