‘I love Lance to death’: Chicago White Sox 3B coach Joe McEwing explains heated discussion with Lance Lynn

DETROIT — Chicago White Sox third-base coach Joe McEwing wanted to make something clear Tuesday at Comerica Park.

“First things first, I’m a pescatarian, so I don’t eat meat,” McEwing said. “I don’t eat ribeye or fillet, … I eat fish.”

McEwing was referencing Lance Lynn’s reasoning after the pitcher was asked after Monday night’s game about a lively discussion caught on camera between the two during a game against the Detroit Tigers.

“He was trying to get me going,” Lynn said after the game. “He kept telling me that fillets are better than ribeye. I’m more of a ribeye and potatoes guy. He’s a fillet and Caesar salad. I just told him was wrong.

“And then he went back to coaching third.”

McEwing said the situation was a miscommunication.

“Let it be known I love Lance to death,” McEwing said. “We have the same personalities. We’re both competitors and we both care so much about how much work goes into a daily game. It was a miscommunication between us. And we took care of it, we hugged each other. I was thinking something else that he was thinking internally and mentally. And we hugged it out and we’re good.”

The Tigers had seven hits in the first two innings. The discussion was before the third. The assumption was the conversation centered on positioning of players.

“And that’s the miscommunication part, that’s what I assumed,” McEwing said. “And it was more or less about him not making pitches. He wasn’t making pitches. He was leaving balls in the middle of the zone, and that’s what he was feeling internally.

“My assumption was that it was about something else. And that’s where the miscommunication comes. And it happens. When you’re out there competing and both sides care about their job and winning and losing and things like that may happen. But that’s part of the game. … We have the same fiery personalities and that’s where it came out. But we talked about it and moved on.”

Lynn allowed three runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 4⅓ innings in the 9-5 victory.

“Lance battled and perhaps most importantly told me after the game he feels good,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “He feels really good. Location might have shown a little bit of rust. I know he got frustrated because he didn’t make a couple of pitches that he is normally used to making.

“But he battled through with his stuff, without his best stuff like the veteran that he is and gave us what we needed to get a win (Monday). That was good to have him back from a performance standpoint, and it’s just fantastic having him back in that (clubhouse) giving his presence.”

Hahn didn’t make much of what was shown on camera between Lynn and McEwing.

“I viewed it as two competitors having a conversation,” Hahn said. “Now the fact that Joe doesn’t eat meat makes me a little dubious of the explanation that you all reported that the conversation was about, but I’m not going to question your sources. (Lynn’s explanation) was impressive, but you’ve got to check your sources on that one.

“That’s a nothing burger. No pun intended.”