Phillies, Marlins clear benches

[WebHamster]

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Phillies and Marlins cleared their benches in the second inning Thursday afternoon after a home plate altercation between Philadelphia catcher Todd Pratt and Florida shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

Gonzalez was irritated by a high and inside pitch thrown by Phillies starter Brett Myers. He stepped out of the batter's box and wagged his finger at the righthander before Pratt stepped in and the two squared off.

Punches were thrown by each player, but none were landed. Both were ejected from the game.

The inside pitch followed a one-out homer by Mike Redmond that gave Florida a 1-0 lead. The Marlins beat the Phillies 8-7 in 12 innings on Wednesday night, their eighth straight win in the series.

Mike Mordecai replaced Gonzalez and struck out. Mike Lieberthal, who caught all 12 innings on Wednesday, came on for Pratt.