Is that really a legitimate excuse for the happenings on Major League fields of late?
In the second of a four game series between the Giants and Mets that concluded on Monday, Matt Cain hit New York’s star third-baseman David Wright with a 93 mile per hour fastball – in the head.
The pitch, which was unintentional, resulted in a concussion for Wright, who could miss the remainder of the season. There has been much discussion of late about the possibility of using a new helmet in Major League Baseball that is reportedly able to withstand the impact of a 100 mile-per-hour fastball.
The crux of this issue, however, runs deeper than a simple change in equipment. The problem that was exposed at the expense of David Wright is a belief in the necessity of retaliation on the baseball diamond.
Some of the most prominent examples of retaliation gone wrong in 2009 are Prince Fielder’s postgame clubhouse tirade, Kevin Youkilis charging the mound and two separate incidents involving the Giants.
There are some who say that baseball is a boy’s game being played by men. Based on the actions of certain figures in baseball over the course of this season – and particularly over the past month – it appears that pitchers and batters alike are behaving more like their Little League counterparts might and less like, well, respectable adults.
Oh, and let’s not forget managers in this equation. Those like Bruce Bochy seem to be trying to quell animosity while also defending players’ safety. Following warnings delivered to both benches over the weekend, Bengie Molina was hit in the elbow. The pitcher was not ejected and Bochy was not pleased.
In a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle Bochy was quoted as saying, “There was a warning. I’m not going to sit back and watch our guys get thrown at. Theirs were on purpose. Ours was not.”
On the other hand, there are managers who view the situation differently, such as the White Sox Ozzie Guillen. The quotable and often controversial skipper made it explicitly clear that his pitchers would retaliate if Chicago believed that hitters were being thrown at purposely. This type of assertion only perpetuates the acts of retribution, allowing them to become an acceptable part of the game.
It is perfectly understandable that the Mets and their fan base would want to hold Matt Cain responsible for potentially ending the season for yet another New York athlete. Wright is added to a lengthy disabled list in Flushing that already includes Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes.
But, let’s be honest. Anyone who has watched any amount of baseball can differentiate between a purposeful “bean ball” and a pitch that gets away. Anyone who has seen footage from Saturday’s contest can tell the difference between Cain’s pitch and the actions of the Mets pitching staff, which threw behind Pablo Sandoval and plunked Molina.
In short, it would be in the best interest of Major League Baseball for Bud Selig to address the issue. Increasing suspensions and fines for players suspected of engaging in these acts of vengeance would be the first step toward hopefully eliminating this type of juvenile behavior. Major League Baseball should take some action in order to both prevent further serious injuries to its players and to avoid losing an already dwindling fan base.
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