The benches emptied Monday night in another epic battle between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers?and team aces Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw.The confrontation started when Bumgarner fielded a ground ball by Yasiel Puig and fired to first for the third out in the seventh inning of the Dodgers?2-1 win in Los Angeles.Bumgarner emphatically shouted, apparently celebrating the final out. But it appeared Puig thought Bumgarner was shouting at him, which led the two to exchange words and the benches to clear.No punches were thrown, but each side traded several pushes and shoves.I just ran, and he was looking in my direction, Puig said through a translator, and he asked why I was looking at him, and then I asked him why he was looking at me.Monday continued a tradition of sorts between Bumgarner and Puig. It was at least the third time they have exchanged heated words on the field, though it was the first known instance since September 2014.In May 2014, after Puig hit a 431-foot home run to center field and flipped his bat, Bumgarner took exception and waited for Puig as he rounded third base before the two exchanged pleasantries as tempers flared.Four months later, on Sept. 23, 2014, Puig made a move toward the mound after he was hit by a Bumgarner pitch. More words were exchanged before the benches cleared and bullpens emptied, and Puig had to be held back by an umpire and several teammates.Bumgarner didnt return for the eighth inning Monday. He limited the Dodgers to one hit with no walks and 10 strikeouts in seven shutout innings. With his second-inning double, Puig stood as the only Dodger to reach base against Bumgarner.Puig said he thought Bumgarner might have been reacting in anger to the fact that the only hit he had given up was to him.Every time I face him, it seems like we have those problems, Puig said. It seems to work out because we win.Puig said he wasnt sure whether Bumgarner had something personal against him.I dont know. Go ask him, he said.Bumgarner appeared to still be annoyed after the game.I didnt hear what was going on, he said. I just got him out, and he tried to stare me down or something. Thats what it looked like to me.Its good that we won, partly because of that, first baseman?Adrian Gonzalez?said of the bench-clearing incident in a postgame interview on the Dodgers broadcast after he lined a game-winning double to right field in the ninth?inning. [Puig] was just playing baseball. He didnt do anything. Thats something that Madisons got to do a better job of -- just getting into the dugout.Giants manager Bruce Bochy had his back turned and was retreating down the dugout steps when the fracas broke out.Theyre not going to go out to dinner, he said. Its been going on for a while, so it doesnt surprise me anymore.Information from ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press was used in this report. Custom Bruins Jerseys . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Cheap Custom Bruins Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. http://www.custombruinsjersey.com/ .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Custom Eddie Shore Jersey .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Wholesale Custom Bruins Shirts . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees released utilityman Dustin Ackley on Friday and announced that injured pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was designated for assignment.New York also traded left-hander James Pazos to the Seattle Mariners for minor league right-hander Zack Littell.Right-hander Nick Rumbelow and lefty Joe Mantiply were designated for assignment. Right-hander Branden Pinder was sent outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.Ackley, the No. 2 pick in the 2009 amateur draft, batted .148 with no homers and four RBI in 28 games last season. He tore the labrum in his right shoulder May 29 while diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt and needed season-ending surgery.Eovaldi was expected to lose his rosterr spot because the right-hander will be sidelined next year as he recovers from major elbow surgery and can become a free agent following the 2017 season anyway.dddddddddddd.Acquired from the Marlins in a December 2014 trade, Eovaldi was 9-8 with a 4.76 ERA this year.The 25-year-old Pazos was 1-0 with a 13.50 ERA in seven relief appearances covering 3 1/3 innings last season.Littell, 21, went a combined 13-6 with a 2.66 ERA in 28 games (27 starts) with two Class A clubs. He had 156 strikeouts and 34 walks in 165 2/3 innings.The Yankees said Littell will be assigned to Class A Tampa. ' ' '