Arlington, Texas -- An in-game altercation between left-hander Cliff Lee and catcher Victor Martinez on Saturday night prompted a 25-minute players-only meeting following the Indians' 8-5 loss to Texas at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
"An issue came up and we felt we needed to address it if we're going to move forward as a team," said third baseman Casey Blake.
Lee and Martinez reportedly exchanged words after the third inning. Lee started the inning by hitting Texas DH Sammy Sosa in the head with a fastball. Sosa, honored before the game for hitting his 600th homer on June 20, was helped off the field and did not return.
It's believed the argument may have been about Lee hitting Sosa.
After the game, Lee was asked about arguing with Martinez.
"We're fine," said Lee, who gave up five runs in the first inning. "There are no issues."
Said Martinez: "I'm not going to comment about that. If you want to talk about the game, I'll talk about the game."
Lee said he did not hit Sosa on purpose.
"I'd never throw at someone's head," said Lee.
Manager Eric Wedge came out into the concourse to talk to reporters after the game. Teams must open their clubhouses to reporters 10 minutes after the game. When Wedge came out of the clubhouse -- he normally talks to reporters in his office -- reporters had already been waiting 17 minutes.
"It's a little housecleaning," said Wedge about the meeting. "It's that time of year. ... When players want to get together and do that on their own, I'm in favor of that."
