"The whole thing was basically a misunderstanding of words and stuff like that," Youkilis said. "To me, it's no big deal."
Before the fifth inning Thursday - and after the Red Sox-Rays punching session - Ramírez was caught on NESN cameras slapping Youkilis. The pair were also exchanging words, and had to be separated by teammates, coaches, and training staff. Youkilis headed out to the field still barking at Ramírez, while Ramírez was escorted into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse by bench coach Brad Mills and trainer Paul Lessard.
According to three sources, Ramírez had told Youkilis to "cut that [expletive] out." That was what provoked Youkilis and started the problem.
Neither player was in the clubhouse after Thursday's game.
The two hadn't spoken as of yesterday afternoon, though Youkilis indicated that was because Ramírez was getting treatment on the sore hamstring that had caused him to leave Thursday's game early.
"We'll talk, definitely," Youkilis said. "We've got 99 games left. It's a long season."
While sources had indicated that part of the problem was Youkilis's tossing of equipment in the dugout, the first baseman said, "I think it was a misunderstanding more than anything. I don't think it was because I threw something."
Youkilis did say, unequivocally, that the altercation had nothing to do with Ramírez's tardiness in getting involved in the second-inning brawl with the Rays, which occurred after James Shields hit Coco Crisp with a pitch. That fight led to suspensions for eight players. This one led to little more than other players downplaying both the issue and questions about team chemistry.
Ramírez did not want to speak about the reasons behind the altercation. He seemed to want to put it behind him, saying, "I think that's nobody's business. What happened happened, and we're going to move on. Like I said, don't worry about it. What happened happened. It's a new day. It's over."
The left fielder was out of the lineup last night, nursing a pulled hamstring. He said he didn't think it would cost him more than one game, though it did scare him at the moment.
