Dodgers-Diamondbacks fight goes too far
While fights may be a common occurrence during hockey games, they are quite rare in baseball. It appears that the Dodgers are trying to break away from that generalization though, as they have been getting their hands dirty in a few scuffles so far on the season, their latest with the Diamondbacks being the worst.
Once the dust settled eight members of both teams in total were ejected after one of the biggest fights in quite some time. In addition all eight were fined, as well as both managers banned for one game. It all happened so fast as the venom between the two teams built through the game, so let’s break the action down.
It all started when Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy hit the Dodgers’ young superstar Yasiel Puig in the back. Dodgers starter Zach Greinke retaliated by plunking Miguel Montero in the top of the seventh inning, inciting warnings to both sides as the umpires attempted to keep everything calm. Unfortunately there was little they could do to suppress the outcome of what followed.
Greinke strode up to the plate to face Kennedy in the bottom half of the inning and was promptly hit in the shoulder. The Dodgers were thrown in a rage as both sides once again stepped on to the field, but there was little the umpires could do this time around as a full on fight developed that would make any NHL team jealous. The managers, Don Mattingly and Kirk Gibson even had to be restrained as they started to go at it on the field.
After the game Montero threw a few more punches, as he addressed the media regarding the fight earlier that evening.
“It got pretty ugly,” Montero said. “They came out of nowhere, just throwing punches. When everybody was trying to break it up, they just kept coming and throwing punches. It was like 25 against 72, because all the DL guys were out there, too. I guess their arms were feeling pretty good because they were throwing good punches.”
This latest scuffle opens the debate once again about pitchers hitting players on opposing teams. Sure it sends a message across but it also puts the teams and players in danger should the opposing team retaliate or start a fight. Greinke already got hurt in a fight earlier this year, does he really need to get in another?
Gibson doesn’t seem fazed by the fighting, instead he seems to brush it aside.
“That’s just baseball,” Gibson said. “We got a game tomorrow. We’ll regroup.”
Whether it is just baseball or something that needs to be stopped will continue to be a debate across the MLB for many years to come. Fights happen, but sometimes they can get out of hand, putting players at risk of injury and also at risk of losing their careers.
