2014 MLB Thread & Pissing Match

[CreightonWarrior]

Tough spot for everyone involved, including Stanton's dad and aunt who were in attendance next to the dugout. I also hope this doesn't affect Fiers' pitching as much as it did last night. He's been a bright spot on this team, top 5 ERA (sub 2.00) since getting into the rotation. Its a good thing there isn't another game today as it could get ugly.

I hope Stanton has a quick recovery as he is obviously a special player.

[CreightonWarrior]

Anyone see the marlins broadcast of the whole thing? I don't know who their color analyst is, and I don't care to look it up, but his performance was an absolute embarrassment. Made Hawk Harrelson look sane and rational.

That was an embarassment indeed, for those who haven't seen it MLB.com uses their broadcast for the video clip. That guy wanted to be down there throwing punches

[wadesworld]

Just a very odd scene.  Goes from everyone being concerned about Stanton and his health to both teams clearing their benches in 1 pitch.  Sultan is right, Fiers should've been taken out immediately.  No way in heck he was going to put a pitch anywhere close to the strike zone on the next pitch.  Then you have the Marlins yelling at the ump because they correctly (but still an odd situation) call strikes on back to back HBP, and Fiers already feels awful enough so he clearly thinks the Marlins are yelling at him.  I tip my cap to the Marlins for not retaliating in the next inning.  Braun was up 2nd with nobody on and is an obviously easy target with the whole PED situation.  Glad they didn't use that as an opportunity to "get even," as things would've gotten very ugly.  Nobody is trying to hurt someone.  Fiers clearly was trying to come inside and just lost control of it, Stanton wasn't able to turn away from it, etc.

[CreightonWarrior]

I tip my cap to the Marlins for not retaliating in the next inning.  Braun was up 2nd with nobody on and is an obviously easy target with the whole PED situation.  Glad they didn't use that as an opportunity to "get even," as things would've gotten very ugly.  Nobody is trying to hurt someone.  Fiers clearly was trying to come inside and just lost control of it, Stanton wasn't able to turn away from it, etc.

Gomez got beaned in the bottom of the 6th. Whether or not it was intentional? Who knows.

[GGGG]

Anyone see the marlins broadcast of the whole thing? I don't know who their color analyst is, and I don't care to look it up, but his performance was an absolute embarrassment. Made Hawk Harrelson look sane and rational.

Yeah that was sh*t.

I don't really blame the Marlins players for acting the way they did.  But the broadcaster was WWAAAYYY too "unwritten rulezy" for my taste.

[Benny B]

And the Brewers should have taken Fiers out of the game immediately.  He was not going to be able to continue after that, and the whole mess after the second HBP could have been avoided.

There are plenty of instances in MLB where a player was hit above the neck and the pitcher continued in the game.

Valerio de los Santos was not removed from the game when he hit Greenberg in 2005.
Dennis Martinez was not lifted when he hit Puckett in 1995.

Unless history proves me wrong, I would be willing to say that those two HBPs were much worse than Stanton's.   After all, those HBPs were the last time either batter stepped to the plate; Stanton will [hopefully] be back... if it's just a laceration, it will be the ugliest of the positive-prognosis scenarios that come after taking a beaner to the noggin.

Other recent examples -- Cain sending David Wright off the field in an ambulance.  Weeks trying to bunt a Volquez pitch with his mandible.  Sometimes you get plunked in the glute, sometimes you get plunked in the melon... it's a part of the game and a danger every batter - and pitcher - recognizes.  There was no reason to think that Fiers couldn't have continued after the Stanton plunk.  There was reason after the Johnson plunk, and surprise, surprise, he was lifted at that point.

Incidentally, the emotion that Fiers displayed last night was because he wanted to go back out in the 6th.

[GGGG]

Regardless of history, IMO he seemed too emotionally wrought to continue IMO.  

[CreightonWarrior]

Regardless of history, IMO he seemed too emotionally wrought to continue IMO.  

There were also the issue of SP pitching more than 5 innings just once in the previous 5 games, that had to factor into the decision.

Also wonder how much getting a W for Fiers factored in, had he not gotten through the end of the 5th he wouldn't qualify for a W. He'd also been having a spectacular game up to that point.

[JWags85]

I watched the replay and initially thought Fiers came off terribly.  I understand the emotion, and agree he shouldn't have been out there, but daring the Marlins bench to come on the field and then spiking the ball while frothing at the mouth looking like a lunatic isn't a good look either.  Especially since he just beaned two guys.

HOWEVER, his post game comments in the locker room were sincere, emotional, and well spoken.  I feel he redeemed himself well.  Just a rough situation all around.

[GGGG]

I don't think Fiers was yelling because he wanted them out on the field.

[NavinRJohnson]

I watched the replay and initially thought Fiers came off terribly.  I understand the emotion, and agree he shouldn't have been out there, but daring the Marlins bench to come on the field...

?

[CreightonWarrior]

I don't think Fiers was yelling because he wanted them out on the field.

Agreed, my interpretation was that he was so upset about them yelling at him as if what he did was intentional. At no moment did he look like he wanted to fight someone. All that was just his emotion about what happened.

[wadesworld]

Regardless of history, IMO he seemed too emotionally wrought to continue IMO.  

+1

Gomez got beaned in the bottom of the 6th. Whether or not it was intentional? Who knows.

Hah guess that's what I get for speaking up after not watching the rest of the game after the bottom of the 5th.

[mu-rara]

There are plenty of instances in MLB where a player was hit above the neck and the pitcher continued in the game.

Valerio de los Santos was not removed from the game when he hit Greenberg in 2005.
Dennis Martinez was not lifted when he hit Puckett in 1995.

Unless history proves me wrong, I would be willing to say that those two HBPs were much worse than Stanton's.   After all, those HBPs were the last time either batter stepped to the plate; Stanton will [hopefully] be back... if it's just a laceration, it will be the ugliest of the positive-prognosis scenarios that come after taking a beaner to the noggin.

It seemed like Dennis Martinez pitched in the majors for 50 years.

[buckchuckler]

Such a shame for Stanton.  Hopefully he doesn't have any long term problems from this.  He had a great season. 

[4everwarriors]

From the video replay, Stanton is very fortunate the pitch didn't strike him 2 inches higher. As it is he's likely to suffer residual facial, structural, and dental issues for a very long time.

[RushmoreAcademy]

More beanball action in the Yankees/Rays game last night. 5 yankees beaned and Girardi was furious.  Will MLB step in and react like they did with the catcher  plate blocking eventually?

[buckchuckler]

More beanball action in the Yankees/Rays game last night. 5 yankees beaned and Girardi was furious.  Will MLB step in and react like they did with the catcher  plate blocking eventually?

Geesh I hope not.  That rule is a crapfest. 

[wadesworld]

Can the Brewers please just start Davis, Gomez, Parra in the OF, Gomez at SS, and Clark at 1B for the last 10 games of the season please?  You're 2.5 games back of a Playoff spot.  You cannot just sit back and keep telling yourself, "Well, maybe Braun and Segura will go back to hitting like they did to start last season, a full 16 months ago."  It's well past that point now.  Braun is just as much of a guaranteed routine ground out/strikeout as Segura is at this point.  Give the team a chance to score some runs and play the guys who at the very least can make productive outs if they aren't going to get on base.

[4everwarriors]

Brewers shot their load 3 weeks ago, aina?

[RushmoreAcademy]

Geesh I hope not.  That rule is a crapfest. 

Ya, it's awful.  Just awful. It's clear they don't know how to interpret it.  There was a pair of games... White Sox games I think.... a few weeks back with calls about this on consecutive nights that went opposite ways.  The split screen of the plays was hilariously similar.

[buckchuckler]

Ya, it's awful.  Just awful. It's clear they don't know how to interpret it.  There was a pair of games... White Sox games I think.... a few weeks back with calls about this on consecutive nights that went opposite ways.  The split screen of the plays was hilariously similar.

Yeah I guess the rule isn't that terrible, it is just that the judging of it is different every time. 

[CTWarrior]

Yeah I guess the rule isn't that terrible, it is just that the judging of it is different every time. 

If they just called the rule like they do at every other level of baseball and with some common sense, it wouldn't be a problem.  Simply put, you can't block the plate if you don't have the ball, and if the catcher has the ball you have to slide or avoid.  This nonsense where they call the runner safe because the catcher is in front of the plate while the runner is still 40-50 feet away has to stop.

[CreightonWarrior]

Did anyone see how Russell Martin reacted to his homerun against the Brewers Friday night? Stood in the box for a good couple seconds and then pounding his chest as he rounded the bases. Isn't this the same guy that picked a fight with Gomez because he didn't like how Gomez watched his homerun awhile back?

Also, Gomez's baserunning in the top of the 9th yesterday because capsulizes the 2014 Brewers, choke jobs. How someone can make that many baserunning errors is astounding.

[CTWarrior]

Strange season.  Seems like every division has a team that looked like solid playoff contenders that really lost ground in the 2nd half (Blue Jays, Tigers, A's, Braves, Brewers, Giants, though it looks like the Tigers, A's and Giants are going to hang on at least for the wild card game).

My condolences to you Brewers fans.  No worse or more helpless sports fan feeling than than when your baseball team seems to lose a game in the standings every day in late August/September. 

Congrats to Chico's for the Angels. 

If I had to pick a World Series I'd say Angels-Nats, with the Orioles and Dodgers as best alternatives.  Angels-Dodgers or Nats-O's would be great area grudge matches.  There's even an outside chance of an A's-Ginats Series.  Not to start another 5 page argument, the baseball playoffs are a real crapshoot because of the nature of the sport, and once you get to the postseason, everybody has a pretty good chance.