Pirates’ Dennis Santana tries to smack fan in bizarre bullpen altercation

Tensions reached a boiling point midway through the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader between the Pirates and Tigers after a Pittsburgh reliever got into it with a fan at Comerica Park in Chicago.

During the nightcap, which the Pirates ultimately won 8-4, righty Dennis Santana attempted to slap a fan in the stands from the bullpen.

In multiple videos posted to social media, Santana was seen jumping up toward the stands in left field next to a police officer or security staffer, as the reliever extended his arm toward the fan.

Details of what provoked the incident between the two and when it occurred during the game remain unclear, but Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported that the fan was ejected from the stadium.

The Pirates have yet to address the situation.

Santana, 29, holds a 1.72 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 31¹/₃ innings with the Pirates this season after he recorded one out and did not allow a run in Pittsburgh’s win in the second game of the twin bill.

Santana, who is in his eighth season in MLB, joined the Pirates midway through 2024 after the team picked him up off waivers after he was designated for assignment by the Yankees.

While addressing his sudden turnaround that saw him become one of the Pirates’ more valuable arms last season, Santana credited star closer Aroldis Chapman for serving as his mentor during his career revitalization.

“I bet he’s seen a lot of talent like me, not just with the Pirates, but the places he’s been before,” Santana told MLB.com in March about what drew him to Chapman initially. “He [can] take me under his wing, teach me everything, and sometimes we meet people who see what we can do.

“He was there for me and was like, ‘You gotta do things this way or this way.’ I thank him a lot.”

Chapman, who played for the Pirates last season, introduced Santana to a new workout regimen, which ultimately helped him gain 10 pounds of muscle.

“Doing that routine every day, it didn’t matter, good day or bad day, I just kept the same routine because at the end of the day, the bad results are going to come,” Santana said. “But if you keep doing your routine, it’s going to get better.”