San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals Brawl in the Bay

The San Francisco Giants’ lineup could cause any fireworks, but Hunter Strickland and Bryce Harper came out swinging during an eighth-inning brawl.

When Washington Nationals’ slugger Bryce Harper stepped into the batter’s box against San Francisco Giants’ reliever Hunter Strickland on Monday, visions of the 2014 postseason were already dancing in just about everyone’s heads. Harper owned Strickland in the NLDS, taking him deep twice in two at-bats.

Their meeting on Monday was the first matchup between the two since that four-game series, and Strickland went into the at-bat with a plan. In postgame interviews, Strickland said he was trying to pitch Harper inside because, in 2014, he left fastballs over the plate and Harper brutalized them. Strickland’s first pitch was inside, very inside, and the 98-mile-per-hour fastball hit Harper flush on the hip.

Whether you think the beaning was intentional or not, there’s no denying that it’s a suspicious pitch, given the history between the two. Harper didn’t take kindly to it, either. He pointed his bat directly at the Giants’ pitcher before throwing it to the side and beginning his charge to the mound. Strickland threw down his glove and beckoned Harper.

Harper pulled off his helmet and squared up to chuck it at Strickland, but his throw went wide, wide right and flew harmlessly toward the second base position. Strickland and Harper met on the mound and the two exchanged blows. Neither guy really got a good shot on the other. Strickland sort of hit Harper with an open-hand palm strike, and Harper kind of mushed Strickland’s hat into his face with his fist.

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Before the two could do any real damage to each other, cavalry arrived. Michael Morse came charging in from first base and Jeff Samardzija came from the dugout, and those two probably landed the biggest blow of the brawl. The two men, both huge human beings (Samardzija is listed at 6’5″, 225 and Morse at 6’5″, 245), collided in the middle of everything. They butted heads and both men’s hats flew off their heads, sending an explosion of hair through the flying fists and cuss words.

Harper and Strickland were eventually separated, with Ryan Zimmerman taking a much calmer Harper away from the masses. Strickland wasn’t ready to leave the fracas, and it took a lot of his teammates to pull him away. Mac Williamson, George Kontos, and Hunter Pence, a trio that weighs a combined 675 pounds, all had to drag Strickland, who was still in full-on fight mode, to the dugout and through the tunnel.

Kontos then had the privilege of taking the mound after Strickland.

Both parties are in the wrong here. Strickland has no business throwing at Harper based on something that happened in the 2014 postseason (and let’s be honest, he was pretty clearly throwing at Harper), especially in a series that the Giants won en route to their third World Series championship in five years. Harper was also in the wrong for charging the mound and throwing his helmet.

And as for Buster Posey not protecting his pitcher, he did nothing wrong. Strickland is a big boy and he decided to handle things himself, and he shouldn’t need Posey to protect him. Posey has already been on the disabled list because of a concussion this season, and with the way that Morse and Samardzija were getting bounced around in the fray, he didn’t need to get involved. Posey is too valuable to the team to be put on the shelf because of someone else’s nonsensical grudge.

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Suspensions will be handed down soon enough, and they’ll both be well deserved. Whether Harper just flat out missed the helmet throw or intentionally chucked it in the wrong direction, it’s a good thing. Had the helmet hit anyone, it would have resulted in a much lengthier suspension. Instead, he either got lucky, or was incredibly smart in his throw, that it missed. Both players earned their time off.

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