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Donaldson on confrontation: 'He didn't back down and I didn't back down'

Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The heated Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers American League Division Series reached its boiling point on Friday after a verbal exchange between Josh Donaldson and Keone Kela forced benches to clear.

After Donaldson hit a long foul ball that traveled 440 feet, the two big leaguers got into it with each other after Donaldson egged on Kela with some harsh words.

Is that French Josh Donaldson is speaking? #BlueJays

After a long stare down from Donaldson, Kela recovered to strikeout the slugger, who was thrown out at first after the third strike was dropped.

"We made eye contact and exchanged a few words and he didn’t back down and I didn’t back down," the Blue Jays third baseman told reporters after the game.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that some on the Rangers' bench believe Donaldson was upset because Kela quick-pitched him.

"You can ask (Kela) what he did," said outfielder Jose Bautista after the game. "He's a grown man - he should man up."

Kela would eventually get out of the inning after issuing a walk to Bautista and sending a scare into the hearts of Rangers fans everywhere with a long fly ball to the deep center field wall off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion fell just short of a home run.

The Blue Jays went on to lose 6-4 after 14 innings and the Donaldson made it clear after the game that the focus needs to stay on their next game with their postseason lives now on the line.

"The task at hand is pretty simple," he said. "We have to win or we go home."

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