PHILADELPHIA >> The game had ended, but there were words left to be said.

As the Giants (13-6) walked back to their clubhouse following a 6-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies (11-8) to split a four-game series, a scrum of players and coaches found themselves engaged in a spirited conversation with home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi. The back-and-forth lasted roughly two minutes. Then, both sides went their separate ways.

On most days, this scene would’ve been abnormal. On an afternoon where Giants starter Jordan Hicks beefed with the Phillies — after allowing five runs over seven innings — and Cuzzi took exception to a perceived slight from San Francisco center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, one final kerfuffle felt strangely apropos.

“The umpire had a sensitive game,” Lee said through team interpreter Justin Han.

Cuzzi’s confrontation with the Giants derived from a misunderstanding in the top of the ninth inning. Lee took a 1-1 pitch from the Phillies’ Jose Alvarado for a strike, then adjusted his helmet. Cuzzi thought Lee was arguing the call since he saw Lee tap his helmet, which is how hitters challenged calls during spring training.

“Anybody that watches the Giants games knows that every pitch, I adjust my helmet. It’s every pitch,” Lee said. “I told him, ‘I don’t speak English.’ Umpire said something. I kept on saying, ‘I don’t speak English.’ I think that’s what happened.”

“We’re not letting them tap their heads,” crew chief and third base umpire Dan Bellino told the pool reporter after the game. “That would be arguing balls and strikes. So, it’s the same as arguing balls and strikes. I’m not saying that’s what he was doing or not. Phil was telling him, ‘Hey, you can’t tap your head right after a pitch that you disagree with because it looks as though you’re arguing balls and strikes.’ But, obviously, with the language barrier there, I don’t know if Lee really understood what he was saying. I think that was part of the miscommunication.”

When Cuzzi approached the Giants after the game, Lee reiterated that he doesn’t speak English and didn’t understand what was going on. According to Lee, Cuzzi told him that it was bad timing and left shortly after.

Why had it been bad timing? That answer lies in the previous eight innings.

In the bottom of the second, Hicks hit Trea Turner with an errant 100.9 mph sinker. Turner wasn’t happy. Turner’s teammates weren’t happy. Philadelphia’s bench had some words for Hicks, who was already a bit perturbed after allowing five runs in the first inning. Soon enough, Hicks would be even more upset.

In the fourth, Hicks fired a 100 mph sinker to the Phillies’ Alec Bohm. Cuzzi granted Bohm time right as Hicks was beginning to throw. Hicks expressed displeasure with Cuzzi granting Bohm time, and the two exchanged words before Hicks stepped back on the rubber. Hicks induced a double play on the next pitch, but was still frustrated. So much so that third baseman Matt Chapman went to the mound to calm his pitcher.

“(Chapman) said, ‘We need you to be in this game. We need you to go deep in this game today,’” Hicks said. “Trying basically just to not get me tossed. I appreciate him for that because he’s good at defusing situations.”

The situation wouldn’t be defused for long. After striking out Bryson Stott to end the inning, Hicks chirped with the Phillies second baseman as he walked off the field. Hicks again had words for the Phillies upon completing the seventh, and Cuzzi stepped in to intervene.

“I was chirping with the dugout and their side, and he was trying to be in the middle of it,” Hicks said. “I don’t know. I wasn’t talking to him at all, so I didn’t want him in my face. I kind of just walked away and defused the situation. It was pretty much all game, back and forth everywhere.”

Added Chapman, who hit a two-run homer: “He’s a competitive guy. He really means well. I think Phil, sometimes, can get a little bit hot. So, it was two guys kind of clashing a little bit — both of them are a little hot-headed. I’m glad nothing bad came out of it and he was able to stay in the game. We saw how huge that was for us. I love the competitive spirit, but glad things didn’t get out of hand.”

Hicks ended his day with a pedestrian line score — five earned runs and seven innings on a career-high 105 pitches — but the outing was impressive in that the right-hander provided length after throwing 33 pitches in the first inning. From the second inning onward, Hicks channeled anger into premium gas.

Entering play, Hicks had touched triple digits on two occasions during his time with the Giants. Against the Phillies, Hicks hit at least 100 mph on 16 pitches, 13 of which were after the first inning, and topped out at 101.7 mph.

“We’d have been in a little trouble if we had to go (to the bullpen) early in the game,” manager Bob Melvin said. “His pitch count was going to potentially be a little bit higher in the first. I’m glad he got through it.”