I just lost respect for Cole Hamels. He intentionally hit Bryce Harper.
Hamels drilled the Washington Nationals phenom in the back with the first pitch he delivered to him Sunday night, a pitch that surely looked like it had a purpose.
After the Phillies’ 9-3 win, Hamels confirmed as much.
“I was trying to hit him. I’m not going to deny it,” Hamels told news reporters.
It was a stunning bit of candor from a starting pitcher.
Even when the most obvious of purpose pitches are delivered, a pitcher goes into his best bit of acting, using phrases like “ball got away” or “just trying to throw inside” with the hope of avoiding a suspension or fine.
I’m sorry, Harper is going to be a reason people watch baseball. Fans are going to go to games they otherwise would not attend to see Bryce. Hamels is throwing at a star in the making?
“I’m not going to injure a guy. They’re probably not going to like me for it but I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t trying to do it. I think they understood the message and they threw it right back. That’s the way, and I respect it. They can say whatever they want.”
Well, I glad the ball didn’t get away from Hamels and hit Bryce in the face. Sure, nothing can go wrong when you intentionally throw at a player. Harper, at least, took it like a man:
And Harper took Hamels’ admission with a chuckle, according to the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore: “He’s a great guy, great pitcher, knows how to pitch. He’s an all-star. It’s all good.”
I especially like the fact that Harper made Hamels pay with a steal of home.
I suspect Hamels will be suspended. Jordan Zimmermann might be too, since his hitting Hamels was in retaliation. The hammer should be brought down on Hamels, however. There was no reason to hit Harper in this case. He had gone 0 for 7 with four walks in the first two games of the series, neither scoring a run nor driving in any. Hamels hit him because he is 19 years old and in the big leagues? What an idiot!
The commissioner should suspend Hamels for the rest of the season. Not some slap on the wrist five game suspension where Cole would not even miss a start. Hitting batters is dangerous. Nip this in the bud right now. Suspend Hamels for the rest of the season without pay.
Nothing MLB has done in the last three decades cut down on hit batters. Maybe suspending a star, a Cy Young candidate for a year will finally send the right message. A baseball is not a weapon. Cole used it as such, and should be punished accordingly.
Hat tip, BBTF.
Are you serious? Suspend him for the season? That would be insane.
dave » So how long would you suspend him?
I just lost a lot of respect for Hamels. That was not cool & is completely the wrong attitude… more like Sad-itude.
Probably standard suspension for intentionally hitting someone, which is 5 games or so, right?
Sorry, but there is no difference between what Hamels did and what Zimmerman did. They both intentionally threw at a player. Period. The reasons don’t really matter.
So unless you think that every pitcher that intentionally throws at someone should be suspended for an entire season, doing so to Hamels would be absurd.
Look – I don’t care about Hamels. I’m not a Phillies fan. And Hamels was stupid. But to suspend him for a season would be crazy.
Hamels only real mistake was foolishly admitting that he threw at him.
I agree that this should be more than the standard five game suspension. Hamels had absolutely no reason to throw at Harper. Harper had done nothing to him or to anyone. All Harper’s done has been to be a potentially good young player. I don’t know about the whole season, but a message needs to be sent that this behavior will not be tolerated.
The difference between what Zimmerman did and what Hamels did is Zimmerman acted in defense of a teammate. When you’re forced to act in defense, or self-defense, than the instigator deserves the brunt of the punishment.
Last year, when Kevin Gregg intentionally threw a few pitches at David Ortiz for absolutely no reason, I didn’t think Ortiz deserved a suspension. What was he supposed to do, sit there and take it while Gregg tried to harm him? What message would that send to other pitchers in the league when Ortiz came to the plate? Ortiz got backed into a corner where another player instigated a fight and he had to respond, and MLB is pretty lucky that no one got hurt. What kind of slap on the wrist did Gregg receive for that, 5 games? Didn’t Ortiz get equal punishment?
The rules need to be changed to aggressively punish instigators, throw lighter punishment to those forced to respond, and perhaps put an automatic run on the board for the team forced to defend itself. I’m not sure of Hamels should be suspended for the whole season, but David is on the right road here. If you instigate a situation that’s potentially harmful, then there should be some severe consequences. It’s only a matter of time before a player gets seriously injured.
dave » I disagree. Pitchers can send just as strong a message by coming close inside. Put the ball between the plate and the batter, and if he’s leaning in, well, he gets hit. The batter at least has a chance to get out of the way.
Motive matters, too. If Harper had been hot dogging, or trash talking the Phillies, or just being all full of himself, I might understand it more. As far as I can tell, Bryce is just busting his butt out there trying to win games. I’m sorry if that bothers Mr. Hamels.
So for no reason other than this is a 19-year-old rookie, Hamels throws at the guy. Believe me, if Hamels hit Bryce in the face and broke his eye socket, Cole would not be so forth coming. That fact that Cole will invite a five game suspension tells me that it’s not enough. This was blatant assault, and should be punished severely.
I think it’s more than just Hammels vs. Harper. I think it’s the Phillies telling the Nats this is their division and trying to intimidate a younger team. I’d give Hammels 10 games.
**This was blatant assault, and should be punished severely.**
Then anytime a pitcher intentionally hits a player is “blatant assault” and should be punished “severely.”
** If Harper had been hot dogging, or trash talking the Phillies, or just being all full of himself, I might understand it more.**
LOL- so basically “blatant assault” is fine as long as the pitcher doesn’t like them or their actions. Got it.
dave » That’s not what I said. You don’t understand the meaning of “might”?
I think that a substantially more severe punishment is in order here for all of the varied & substantiated reasons mentioned. As well, because MLB needs to be acutely aware of what’s going on in the NFL right now … / PS/ I really loved Harper’s retaliatory steal of home!
Hey folks, Harper didn’t get hit in the face, so stop with the “what ifs”. Hamels hit him with a breaking ball in the back. This wasn’t a major crime, Hamels just obviously does not belong to the Harper fan club as the rest of you do. But please don’t get carried away. You sound silly.!! The normal 5 day’s will do, Harper is no better then anyone else.
Woah, David! Easy, buddy.
I don’t see any reason to re-write the rule book here. Suspend the kid for a month. That should be about 5 starts. As soon as he starts missing games, it’ll sink in. Furthermore, if it’s made clear that a 1 month suspension is the first offense rate, he’s bound to be a bit more… careful with his location in the future.
And finally, I respectfully suggest that your hawkish stance on this is colored by the batter who was hit, rather than the offense itself. Should all targets be treated equally?
WeWanttheFunk » Yes, the target has a lot to do with it.
Very few people go to the ballpark to see someone like Nick Punto play. Players like Harper generate buzz. Someone who might not go to a game otherwise will buy a ticket to see what all the fuss is about. That’s good for baseball. Young stars like Harper (and Cole Hamels was certainly one of them) are a draw. Harper helps MLB bring in more money. Believe it or not, some of that money winds up in Cole Hamels pocket.
Secondly, what do you mean all targets? The target here was a 19-year-old rookie, whose only offense was being a 19-year-old rookie. The sample size is pretty small. Do you want to include players who get hit in the back after hitting two home runs? Sure, I’ll take those, also. Most pitchers, however, are smart enough to throw inside, where the batter has a chance to get out of the way. Hamels was stupid on all counts, from throwing the pitch to bragging about it. He should be made to pay as an example to others.
Amie » According to PITCHf/x, it was a 93 MPH fastball.
Standard suspension, please. No one got hurt, Harper laughed it off, and there would be the mother of all union battles if Hamels were somehow suspended for the season.
Are you worried that if the batter being thrown at is taken into account at suspension time, the Nick Puntos of the world will end up at greater risk? It doesn’t strike me as very democratic.
WeWanttheFunk » No one is going to throw at someone like Nick Punto for no reason. If Punto hits two home runs in a game and gets drilled in the back, then the pitcher should be suspended. No one is going to go after Nick for no reason.
I’m more worried about players like Mike Trout, Jesus Montero, Brett Lawrie, Jose Altuve, Brandon Belt, etc. If Cole is not punished severely, those good young players could be put at risk. A five game suspension, which is nothing for a starting pitcher, sends the message that it’s okay to hit these rising stars. I want to see these guys hitting for a long time.
In regard to whether “all targets should be treated equally”: a batter should not be a target.
Jeff A: Agreed, and that’s the exercise here; punishing the targeting accordingly.
David P: Batters are frequently thrown at in a retaliatory way. My own anecdotal observation as a baseball fan is that they’re thrown at for retribution more frequently than they’re thrown at because they’re slugging, or even because a pitcher is trying to establish the inner corner (undoubtedly, that’s where it starts).
Assuming you agree, wouldn’t jacking up a suspension on a pitcher who throws at a star up the probability of retaliatory beanings on replacement level players? Why risk a big suspension for plunking Prince Fielder when you can wait for the 8 or 9 slot to come around and drill him for cheap?
WeWanttheFunk » Why are they throwing at a replacement player? What is the use of it? The star is not going to be intimidated. I just don’t follow your logic.
Why was Harper singled out? I don’t see rookies getting hit in the back often. He was singled out because he might be a star. If he might be a star, then he’s going to be a big draw for MLB some day. That’s a huge reason for MLB to want to keep him and young players like him healthy.
So let me make this clear. If Hamels hits any player for no reason and brags about it, I’d want him suspended for a long time. Hamels isn’t going to do that, however, so the question is moot. He’s not going to hit X, then say I hit X to intimidate Y, because I’ll get a lower suspension. He’s just going to hit Y.
I follow your logic, and I’m not calling you wrong. My question is: what becomes of this policy when a “retaliatory beaning” is in order. Would a suspension rate adjusted to the star power of the batters affect the pitcher’s selection? I say it would.
WeWanttheFunk » I really don’t like the idea of retaliatory beanings. If the beaning was intentional, the pitcher’s suspension should be enough. If the HBP was not intentional, why retaliate?
But in response to your last statement, you are probably right.
Hamels only gets five games. MLB obviously agrees with the old school tactic.
Dave,
You proposing that Hamels should be suspended for the season is probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Throwing at players to send a message has been around the game for a long time. Anyone who has ever played baseball at a competitive level is familiar with the “unwritten rules”. Hamels pitch was right on his backside. Your claim that he could have accidentally hit him in the face is completely baseless.
Even 19 yr old Bryce understood this is part of the game. And now everyone makes a bigger deal over the fact that he admitted that he did it on purpose? Are you suggesting that he should be punished further for telling the truth instead of lying? A batter is more likely to get hurt by a pitcher just trying to throw a message by throwing inside, and the ball getting away from him. By intentionally making sure he hit Harper in ass, the message was sent and Harper was never in danger.
Dave,
You proposing that Hamels should be suspended for the season is probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Throwing at players to send a message has been around the game for a long time. Anyone who has ever played baseball at a competitive level is familiar with the “unwritten rules”. Hamels pitch was right on his backside. Your claim that he could have accidentally hit him in the face is completely baseless.
I don’t like retaliatory beanings either, David. Hell, I don’t like any beanings. But one has to understand the animal if one is to eradicate it correctly.
It seems unwise to punish pitchers differently for beaning different batters. Right or wrong, it just seems “un-egalitarian”.
Do you think that suspensions for beanings, relative to each other, could eventually figure in to arbitration hearings?
Phil G » Right, because pitches never get away from hitters.
Hamels hit him with a 93 MPH four-seam fastball. That is a pitch that is thrown so it doesn’t sink. It’s also three MPH faster than an average Hamels fastball this season. Cole just reared back and let Harper have it.
The pitcher has no business throwing behind a batter. He has no business throwing at a batter. The unwritten rules should be abolished. Think about all the things in our society that were acceptable forty or fifty years ago that are not acceptable today. Do you want to go back to that to any of that? Do you really want rookies hit just because they are rookies?
WeWanttheFunk » Everything, as far as I can tell, is relevant to arbitration hearings.
Phil G – you stated that the ball hit Harper in the backside and couldn’t possibly have got away from Hamels and hit him in the face…yet you stated that Harper could get hit if the ball got away from Hamels when pitching inside?? Either the ball can get away from the pitcher or it can’t.
5avid, I think Hamels should get a long suspension just for being stupid enough for admitting it was deliberate – what was he possibly trying to achieve by saying that? He’s an idiot, and I would not support him in the future.
In terms of eradicating deliberate beaning, I’m not going to pretend I know the solution, but I too think something needs to be done about it. If you look in other sports, the failure of soccer to eliminate diving and abuse towards the officials, and the success of rugby union in controlling dangerous tip tackles are solely down to the sanctions (or lack of them) handed down by the sports governing bodies. I think the after affects for players hit in the head are horrific enough to warrant a solution.