DETROIT — Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez was ejected from Tuesday night’s 10-3 loss against the Boston Red Sox after hitting Trevor Story with a pitch and sparking a benches-clearing incident. After the game, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch could only go so far in defending what happened.

“I understand,” Hinch said. “I understand their frustration. I understand the optics. I understand the whole thing. We play a really good brand of baseball here. That didn’t feel like it. That’s not judging intent. I have no idea. But I know when you go out on the field and you end up in those confrontations, you usually feel like you’re in your right. It didn’t feel good being out there.”

After surrendering back-to-back home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu in the fourth inning, Valdez’s next pitch to Story was a 94 mph fastball that drilled Story between the letters on the back of his jersey.

The pitch was the lone four-seam fastball Valdez has thrown this season.

Story reacted strongly, and though home-plate umpire Adam Beck restrained him, the Red Sox dugout quickly emptied as players spilled onto the field.

“It was not intentional,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “It was not on purpose. It might look like that, but it wasn’t.”

Both benches emptied as the confrontation followed Story down the first-base line. There were no punches thrown or any shoving, but Hinch and Contreras did exchange words as bullpen pitchers ran onto the field.

Up until Tuesday, Framber Valdez hadn’t throw a four-seam fastball since last season. (Courtesy: Baseball Savant)

Before the incident, Contreras had stood and watched the ball soar, a 449-foot shot to left-center, then flipped his bat toward the on-deck circle before beginning his home-run trot.

“It was weak,” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said of the pitch that hit Story.

Valdez’s ejection was the latest in a series of questionable occurrences throughout his career, including a situation last season when Valdez, then with the Houston Astros, crossed up catcher César Salazar, prompting speculation about whether the pitch was thrown with malicious intent.

In the immediate aftermath and even into this spring, Valdez also said that the incident was not intentional.

“Obviously, it was a moment where I got crossed up,” Valdez said in February. “It was the heat of the moment. Adrenaline was going. I did my best to apologize after the fact.”

Still, questions about Valdez’s makeup might have played into the reason his market was diminished this winter, setting the stage for the Tigers to acquire him on a three-year, $115 million deal.

“He’s an incredible competitor, and, I think, sometimes the emotions come with that, and I do like that,” Hinch said at the time. “I want to let him speak for himself when it comes to what’s left behind, but I’m excited to add him. … The production is there. The personality is there, and his preparation is incredible. So you put all that together, we’re bringing him into our clubhouse with open arms.”

With Tarik Skubal set for surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow and 12 other Tigers on the major-league injured list, Valdez is tasked with helping keep Detroit afloat into the summer.

When Valdez first stepped on the mound Tuesday, he had a 3.35 ERA.

Now — after surrendering 10 runs, seven of them earned, in three innings Tuesday — his ERA is 4.57. If he were to face disciplinary action, it would place further strain on a Tigers pitching staff that can hardly afford it.