The Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper was not having it when Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland hit him with his first pitch during the eighth inning of a game at AT&T Park on Monday, and Harper immediately launched his batting helmet at the pitcher, and ran up to the mound for a fight. Strickland landed at least one punch, and Harper landed one, and immediately both benches cleared as the two players looked ready for a full-on brawl, as ABC 7 reports.
Fellow Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija also jumped quickly into the brawl, as did the Giants' Michael Morse, and it ultimately took three men to wrestle Strickland away and back to the dugout, as Bay Area Sports Guy noted on Twitter.
Both players were ejected from the game, and the Nationals went on to win 3-0.
To put things in some context, this was the first time Hunter Strickland had faced Harper since the 2014 National League Division Series when Harper hit two monster home runs off him, as Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan notes. But this was Harper's ninth career ejection from a game, and only Strickland's first.
No doubt, Strickland's 98-mile-per-hour fastball had to hurt, and he said after the game that he was just trying to throw inside to Harper, according to NBC Bay Area, adding, "Obviously, I got it in a little bit too far."
The two teams face off again tonight at AT&T Park at 7:15. See some more angles on the fight below.
This is the Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland Fight #Nats #giants pic.twitter.com/BbkJuQTa3B
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) May 29, 2017
Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland get mad, punch each other in the face. pic.twitter.com/9tLtDGqb8m
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) May 29, 2017
Bryce Harper goes after Hunter Strickland after an HBP and then Mike Morse and Jeff Samardzija are collateral damage. pic.twitter.com/jton90huP5
— Nick Bromberg (@NickBromberg) May 29, 2017
Hunter Strickland is going to be suspended for quite a while pic.twitter.com/C3gwwmklVi
— Bay Area Sports Guy (@BASportsGuy) May 29, 2017
A lot going on with this brawl, but Hunter Strickland having to be wrestled off the field by three teammates was the craziest scene. pic.twitter.com/4GpGjvEli0
— Bay Area Sports Guy (@BASportsGuy) May 29, 2017
Bryce Harper just charged the mound and threw his helmet at Hunter Strickland. Benches just cleared. pic.twitter.com/t9vcnuoc2x
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 29, 2017
Find someone who looks at you the way Bryce Harper looks at hunter Strickland pic.twitter.com/4oN3FqhwHG
— Casey Simpson (@caseysimpson7) May 30, 2017