Ex-Astros pitcher jumps right into Ronald Acuña Jr.-Marlins rivalry as benches clear

The Houston Astros sent Ryan Gusto to the Miami Marlins at the July 31 deadline as part of a trade package for outfielder Jesús Sanchez. The deal seems to have worked out quite well for Houston, as Sanchez has helped provide some pop from the left side of the plate with nine extra-base hits since joining the Astros.

As for Gusto, he's finding out really quickly what life is like in the National League East. In fact, the former Astros hurler was at the center of controversy on Wednesday afternoon in Miami after a came up and in and plunked Atlanta Braves' star Ronald Acuña Jr. with a 93 mph fastball.

Acuña took exception to Gusto's lack of control considering his history with Miami and began jawing with the Marlins' right-hander. Acuña even took a few steps toward the mound and had to be kept in check by the home plate umpire and the Marlins' backstop.

Ex-Astros pitcher Ryan Gusto jumps into Ronald Acuña-Marlins rivalry as benches clear

As you expect, the benches (and the bullpens) emptied in what was ultimately much ado about nothing. Acuña eventually took his base — after some predictable whining and complaining — the umpire issued warnings to both benches. That hardly seemed necessary, however, as doing so didn't allow Atlanta to retaliate.

It's worth noting that Acuña was hit after Matt Olson touched up Gusto for a home run that put the Braves on top 3-0. Gusto, however, had no intent (that we know of) to actually hit Acuña. The next batter drew a walk and Ozzie Albies promptly deposited Gusto's next offering into the seats in right field to give Atlanta a 6-0 lead. The Braves then tacked on three more runs the following inning and Gusto was mercifully removed from the game.

Acuña's beef with the Marlins is nothing new and dates all the way back to 2018 when then Miami starter Jose Urena drilled the Braves' outfielder on the very first pitch of the game after a stretch where Acuña had owned the Marlins. As was the case on Wednesday, both benches emptied and eventually Urena and Braves' manager Brian Snitker were ejected.

There've been other — not so explosive — incidents since then, but the bad blood between Acuña and the Marlins runs deep. Gusto got his first taste of it on Wednesday, but after allowing nine runs to the Marlins' hated rival, it'll be curious to see if and when he gets a chance to face the Braves again.

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