Reds and Pirates Were Already Issued Intense Warnings Ahead of Upcoming Weekend Rivalry Series

Forget the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals rivalries. There is no greater beef in baseball right now than the one between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Less than a month ago, the Reds and Pirates were involved in a massive melee, resulting in numerous suspensions and fines. With the heat percolating since the start of the 2019 season, the two enemies are prepared to do battle in a three-game series.

Just days before the series takes place, both teams were warned by the league about any form of retaliation following July's brawl. According to Lance McAlister of 700 WLW, if anything were to go down, managers Clint Hurdle and David Bell would be handed penalties "like nothing you've ever seen before."

Following the aforementioned brawl, the amount of game bans reached 40 total.

Pirates pitcher Keone Kela received a 10-game suspension after throwing at the head of Cincinnati's Derek Dietrich. Amir Garrett earned an eight-game ban after inciting the brawl, as he ran off the mound and began throwing fists at numerous Pirates players.

Bell earned a lenghty six-game suspension after returning to the field, despite being ejected earlier in the night. As for Hurdle, he was given two games by the league.

Given the size of the previous suspensions, who knows how long David Bell and Clint Hurdle could be sidelined if a repeat were to happen this weekend.