If you’re interested, Joe Girardi and Buck Showalter had to be restrained from each other in between innings in Balt. pic.twitter.com/ZVyiqZ5Mwq — Andrew Harts (@AndrewHarts) September 9, 2013

Orioles manager Buck Showalter had to be restrained by umpires during an argument with Yankees manager Joe Girardi in between the first and second inning of Monday night’s game.

Girardi yelled at Baltimore third base coach Bobby Dickerson, accusing him of stealing signs. Dickerson, who said he had never been berated like that by an opposing manager, said he heard Girardi chirping from the dugout from the start of bottom of the first. Showalter had to be restrained by home plate umpire Ed Hickox as he charged onto the field.

Both benches cleared as the two managers shouted at each other, though no ejections were issued.

Once order was restored, television cameras showed Showalter shaking his head and glaring at Girardi from the Orioles dugout.

After the game, Girardi refused to go into specifics about what set him off, saying only, “The one thing that I’ve done, the whole time that I’m here, and everywhere I’ve been, is I’m going to protect our players at all lengths. That’s what I’m going to do, and there was something that I saw and I’m just going to leave it at that.”

With the 4-2 victory, the Orioles moved within one and a half games of idle Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card. The Yankees fell three games behind Tampa Bay.

Alex Rodriguez and Lyle Overbay hit home runs for the Yankees. Rodriguez’s first-inning blast to right-center was the 652nd of his career, leaving him eight short of tying Willie Mays for fourth place all-time.

Baltimore’s Chris Tillman allowed two runs and four hits in seven-plus innings. He walked none and struck out nine, matching his career high.

(AP provided additional reporting.)