Memorial Day is a time of celebration across the country, but for San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals, Monday turned into a night that both teams will want to forget.
Washington’s Bryce Harper stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in the top of the eighth looking to give his team an extra cushion with the Nats holding just a 2-0 lead.
Instead, the only cushion turned out to be his teammates as the biggest baseball brawl this season quickly got underway. Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland drilled Harper with a 98 mph fastball right into his hip which quickly led to the feud.
Harper immediately charged the mound. Before meeting Strickland, Harper — who was running at full speed — threw his helmet at him, which went way wide. The two exchanged blows before both benches cleared. Both players were ejected from the game.
“I was just trying to go after him, with the helmet or just myself. I was just trying to do what I needed to do to keep it going I guess. I don’t know. In that situation, you see red. You just try to do the best you can and get out of there and not get crushed by one of their teammates coming in.” – Harper
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