The collateral damage from Tuesdays bean brawl between Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper and San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland is still being felt as Harper received a four-game suspension and Hunter received six games from MLB on Tuesday. Both players have appealed, but some time will be served and it will temporarily weaken their teams.
Hunter is a starting pitcher who throws every five days, so his suspension hurts a bit less than Harper, who is an everyday player and hits in the heart of the Washington Nationals lineup.
Hunters vengeance, Harpers aggressive response and catcher Buster Poseys unwillingness to execute proper baseball etiquette has also led to San Fran having to place first baseman Michael Morse on the seven-day concussion list after his collision with starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija during the scuffle.
Once Harper charged Strickland, Morse and Samardzija did the opposite of Posey and uncaringly zoomed into the pit of rambunctiousness. The two teammates collided at full speed and as soon as you see the video, you know that the hardest blow landed in the brawl was Samardzija and Morse’s faces making contact. It was more vicious than any of the phantom, half-assed, off balance punches that Harper and Strickland threw at each other.
So the Giants actually lose a pitcher and a first baseman and are very lucky that Samardzija played football at Notre Dame, so he definitely knows how to take a blow to the head and pass a concussion test.
Samardzija labored through four innings in a 6-3 loss to the Giants on Tuesday night and became just the fourth pitcher in MLB history to throw 100 pitches in four innings without issuing a walk. Maybe he is still feeling the affects of that collision but is gutting through it with his football mentality. He definitely wasnt himself on that mound.
Morse couldnt even complete batting practice. The Giants are hoping that a few seconds of baseball drama doesnt result in an extended absence for a guy who has slugged some big hits for the Giants in the past.
