But as I've written before, if players are going to apply unwritten rules, then at least execute them properly - or maybe lose the privilege, once and for all. Major League Baseball needs to be sensitive to player concerns, understand that the game cannot be completely legislated from Park Avenue. It's easy to say those players are wrong, just as it's easy to say that some were wrong to oppose new rules that were designed to enhance safety at home plate and at second base. But a good number of players, perhaps even a majority, would oppose a ban on such conduct, believing that they need an outlet to police themselves. Many fans, reporters and even some in the game believe that all of this needs to stop, that pitchers need to stop throwing at hitters, that the risk of injury - either from the ball that is thrown or any subsequent brawl-is simply too great. And he told reporters afterward that his recent concussions were not the reason for his inaction. He had every right to be exasperated with Strickland. Posey's body language suggested that he was exasperated with Strickland. ![]() Posey's “Atlas Shrugged” moment occurred in real time.īrian Gorman, the plate umpire, reached the mound much quicker than Posey, who stood at his position for a good five seconds before finally moving. The Pedroia-Machado exchange happened after the fact. Each of these on-field incidents, though, is different. The former MVP's seeming disavowal of Strickland evoked the recent memory of Dustin Pedroia's “it wasn't me” response to Manny Machado after the Red Sox's Matt Barnes threw at Machado's head. Posey's failure to attempt to restrain Harper, though, is the greatest curiosity, one that is likely to spur debate about the Giants' franchise player and one of the game's great role models. Harper, who was hit on the hip, not anywhere near the head, could have laughed at Strickland on his way to first base-though that is easy for a casual observer to say it's different, always different, in the heat of the moment. Strickland acted foolishly with his seeming retaliation for the two home runs that Harper hit off him in the 2014 Division Series. And when I texted one Giants player afterward to ask his opinion of Posey's evident indifference, he summed up his conflicting emotions perfectly. ![]() But I knew that some players might see it differently, believing that teammates should always stand up for each other. My initial thought was that Posey, the Giants' catcher, was the sanest man on the field. ![]() The Nationals' Bryce Harper charged the mound Monday after getting hit by Giants reliever Hunter Strickland, and Posey stood motionless behind the plate rather than defend his pitcher, jogging toward the melee only after Harper threw his helmet and punches started to fly.
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