NEW YORK (AP) – Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon and St. Louis manager Tony La Russa were each suspended for two games Friday after getting into a shouting match during a game that caused both benches to empty.

McClendon and La Russa were also both fined undisclosed amounts by Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president of on-field operations.

La Russa was set to begin his suspension for Friday night’s game against Houston. McClendon, whose Pirates beat Chicago 2-1 Friday, was to begin his suspension Saturday.

Both managers were ejected with two outs in the top of the ninth inning in St. Louis’ 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Thursday after Pirates reliever Mike Gonzalez sent Tony Womack to the dirt with a high, inside pitch.

Before Gonzalez’s next pitch, La Russa yelled at him. That prompted McClendon to storm out of his team’s dugout and head toward the Cardinals dugout to confront La Russa.

Plate umpire Brian Gorman and first-base umpire Dale Scott tried to restrain McClendon. La Russa came onto the field, and the umpires stood between the managers as they exchanged heated words along the first-base line near the Cardinals dugout.

“I think I’ll try to be the corporate guy or whatever you want to call it. I’m labeled as a bad guy. But I don’t see how the fine fits the crime, so to speak,” McClendon said after Friday’s game.

“I guess what you’re supposed to do now from this precedent here is when the opposing manager berates your players, you should just sit there and not say a damn thing and allow your team to lose respect for you and for them to know that you’re not going to fight for them and stand up for them,” he said.

“So I’ll serve my suspension and I’ll root for my players and I’ll be ready to go when this thing is over with,” he said.