It has been quite a season for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke. The $147 million pitcher was involved in his second benches clearing brawl last night. Greinke had his collar bone broken when San Diego Padres Carlos Quentin rushed the mound after being hit by a pitch. This time it was against the Arizona Diamondbacks and he was the one who got hit.
It started with Diamonbacks’ starting pitcher, Ian Kennedy, hitting rookie phenom Yasiel Puig above the shoulders. If this was where it ended, many might think this was a pitch that just got away from Kennedy. In the 7th inning, Zack Greinke comes back and hits catcher Miguel Montero. Normally, this should be where it ends. Both teams got their message across.
However, the Diamondbacks were not done yet. Kennedy looked at his bench and then threw a high fastball that hit Greinke up on his shoulder. Greinke clearly upset about this, had a few choice words for Kennedy. This is where it erupted. The players, the coaches, and the managers all ran out onto the field. The most fired up was Dodgers’ hitting coach Mark McGuire who looked angry enough to take out the entire Diamondbacks team!
This fight actually got pretty ugly compared to normal baseball brawls. There were punches being thrown and players dragged to the grounds. The problem with these brawls is that kids who look up to their favorite players will think it is acceptable to throw at guys’ heads. It is never acceptable to try and intentionally harm someone. If you are looking to send a message or get ‘revenge’ on a team, it can’t be with the possibility of hitting a guy in the head. There is no place in baseball for that.
Commissioner Bud Selig will be handing out a lot of suspensions today to reinforce that message. The Dodgers got the last laugh, winning the game 5-3. These two teams play each other again tonight.
