On Monday night, the Blue Jays got into a pretty dumb fight with the Yankees. Josh Donaldson was hit on a pitch that didn't really seem intentional -- it was just inside and clipped him in the hand/wrist area -- but the Jays insisted on retaliating. Then the Yankees retaliated for the retaliation and, well, we saw the benches clear twice.

Again, it's all so very dumb. Donaldson wasn't hurt. The pitch barely even touched him. The Blue Jays should be most worried about winning games and getting into the playoffs, instead this is the second time in September they've gotten into a stupid fight. At least the fight Monday wasn't as dumb as this one:

What happened? Let's ask Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, via tampabay.com:

"It was just a misunderstanding," he said. "I just told him he crushed that ball, I thought he got it (for a homer). And before I could really get my message across, Tulo jumped in and was like a ball of fire."

Tulowitzki declined to speak with the media, so we have no idea what got him so hot. Apparently he was mad that his catcher told the opposing player he hit the ball hard? [SARCASM FONT] Sounds reasonable [/SARCASM FONT].

Now, it's easy to sit here and call it dumb while others could walk the "intensity" line and claim it's ultimately harmless. But it's actually not harmless at all for the contending Jays. They should be above this type of nonsense while trying to make the playoffs and then advance deep into said playoffs. Here's Joaquin Benoit limping off after the fracas:

Benoit has carved out an important place in the Blue Jays' bullpen since being acquired earlier this season. In 25 appearances, he has posted a 0.38 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. The severity of the injury isn't yet known, but the Blue Jays are only in the playoffs by two games with six to play. If he's forced to miss even three games, that could cost them either home-field in the wild-card game or the playoffs altogether.

Second baseman Devon Travis was also removed from the game with an apparent shoulder injury.

Again, we'll find out more on these injuries in the coming hours or even days, but this all started because a seeming unintentional pitch clipped and didn't injure Donaldson. Is it really that important to retaliate for that? Please don't keep a straight face and say it is.

Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro doesn't seem too pleased (via thestar.com):

"Nothing good comes out of those situations," he said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

"There's no upside. It's understandable why they develop, but it's unfortunate. We'll try to work through it and if there is a lasting impact on the team then it's one more challenge that we have to face."

In that piece on TheStar.com, Shapiro also discusses the possibility of players such as Justin Smoak and Kevin Pillar being suspended in the wake of the brawl. Sure, they could appeal suspensions and probably finish the season before said appeals are heard, but, again, what's the upside?

As Shapiro said, there's none.

Once Donaldson is hit and hitting someone on the other team is considered, let's ask ourselves: "What possible good can come from that?"

What's the response? Come up with a reasonable one, I beg of anyone.

It's the right thing to do.

Nah, it's not. Not when the pitch that hit Donaldson was apparently unintentional and didn't injure him.

It will make the Blue Jays feel better.

Then those are some fragile feelings for supposed tough guys.

The players will have more respect for the pitcher.

The pitcher was J.A. Happ, a 20-game winner. Does that earn him respect in the clubhouse?

That's the way the game has always been played.

No, that's patently false. It's not even revisionist history. It's just a blatant lie. There has always been retaliation, sure, but for an unintentional pitch that barely clips a guy and wasn't even that far inside? If this is how the game has always been played, every hit-by-pitch in baseball history would be attached to a retaliation.

But hey, good job, Blue Jays. Now you might have lost two key players to injury and a few more to suspension at some point because it was just that important to retaliate in the last week of a heated pennant race.