Maddie Meyers | Getty

By Brendan Kuty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

BOSTON — The Yankees say the Red Sox overreacted, and that Tyler Austin didn't deserve to get hit with a fastball.

And no one in pinstripes had a problem with Austin charging the mound as a result of getting plunked.

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Not one Yankee thinks Austin's slide earlier in the game was dirty or should have upset anyone.

So they didn't mind rushing out of the dugout to fight the Red Sox in the seventh inning of Wednesday's 10-7 win at Fenway Park.

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Maddie Meyer | Getty

Background

Benches cleared and punches flew after Boston reliever Joe Kelly hit Austin with a 97-mph fastball not long after Boston shortstop Brock Holt complained about Austin's slide into second base in the third inning. Holt complained to Austin, the benches cleared, nothing happened and the game went along as expected …

Until Kelly hit Austin after missing him in his first try in the at-bat. Then Austin slammed his bat to the ground, Kelly begged him to come at him, and fireworks went off.

Here’s what the Yankees had to say about it:

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Charles Krupa | AP

On the slide ...

Aaron Boone, manager: "It was a hard slide into second. Nothing remotely dirty about it."

He added, “Sometimes, in your slide, it carries you. And I don’t know if there’s some carry over with all the Machado stuff from last year and they’re going to handle things a certain way. But that was pretty innocuous, if you ask me."

More Boone: "Sometimes you don't do it exactly right and you get yourself in the letter of the law, in a little bit of trouble. But to construe that as a dirty play or that you'd be offended by that, I don't buy that at all."

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Maddie Meyer | Getty

Brian Cashman, general manager: "Thought it was an overreaction by their side. Clean slide."

Austin: "They said that I hit his leg and that I didn't think there was anything wrong with the slide."

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Winslow Townson | AP

Phil Nevin, third base coach: "In no way did I think it was a dirty slide if that's what you want to go with. I know one thing, I'm gonna wear less layers tomorrow because, jeez, I look fat in all those — my sweatshirt, my jersey. I can freeze to death but I don't want to look like that on the field anymore."

More Nevin: "I mean, you slow things down, you see things. It looks like his spike caught his spike and it kind of took it in the air. Tyler's not a dirty player. I know that. He certainly wasn't on that play."

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Giancarlo Stanton, left fielder: "Yeah. It wasn't a dirty play. The cleats caught. You don't need to drill him for that. If you're going to do it, do it on the first pitch."

More Stanton: "If I drill you right now, in the side, and I'm your size, you going to just sit there or are you going to go defend yourself?"

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Winslow Townson | AP

On Austin charging the mound ...

Boone: "Tyler Austin is playing the game clean, the right way. Someone decides to fire one at you at 99 (mph), you never know how you're going to react in that situation. So I got no issue with that."

Cashman: "What are you supposed to do when somebody hits you and then calls you out? Guy's got a great arm, drills him and then waves him out there."

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Maddie Meyer | Getty

Austin: "I'm just trying to defend myself. That's all that was. … I felt like it was intentional and I didn't want to let anybody push myself around or do anything like that. That's why I went out there."

Nevin: "I don't blame him at all."

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More on the brawl

Pedro Martinez, who was in the middle of one of the best Yankees-Red Sox brawls, weighs in on Wednesday night's skirmish.

Retaliation coming? What to expect Thursday in final game of the series

Why did Aaron Judge take Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly in a headlock?

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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.