From the Windup: Lost Art of Retaliation

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

Last Sunday, Alfonso Soriano was hit in the head by a pitch off the hand of Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer. Later in the game, Cubs starting pitcher Rich Harden hit Albert Pujols in the middle of the back. It was a fastball, and it was on the first pitch of the at-bat. There was no one on base, and the Cubs had a big lead. Translation: Pujols was hit by Harden in retaliation for Soriano's beaning.

Monday, Ryan Braun was apparently dotted on purpose by Jeff Karstens of the Pirates, but the Brewers didn't get a chance to retaliate, because the umpiring crew offered an immediate warning to both benches.

It was a contrast in two styles, the former is the way baseball should be played. The latter, however, is the way we see things much more frequently these days.

In no way was Wellemeyer's pitch intentional. He went out of his way to apologize to Soriano, and there appeared to be no hard feelings. So, why wasn't Harden ejected and why didn't Pujols charge the mound?

It's because baseball has a built-in way in which it can police itself. If a player showboats a little bit too much, there is no penalty flag for the umpire to throw. To stick with the football metaphor, there is no penalty for accidentally hitting a guy in the head like there is for accidentally hitting another player helmet-to-helmet. There is, however, an accurately placed bean-ball. An opposing player will feel the twinge of a 90-mph sphere dotting the middle of his back. In the perfect baseball world, the umpire looks the other way and the game goes on. At this point, all players on both teams should move on as well, because the matter should be closed.

This is the reason Braun didn't charge the mound. Before he knew the umpire was issuing warnings, he probably just figured one of the Pirates -- Karstens if he was getting another at-bat -- was going to get his. Instead, the umpires took it upon themselves to circumvent the entire system. Brewers manager Ken Macha was out after the warning arguing with the umpires for several minutes. We don't know what actually happened, but we could easily estimate he was arguing the warning because his Brewers hadn't yet had a chance to retaliate.

The Cubs/Cards example was simply one of those rare cases where things were done correctly. We've got two organizations who respect each other -- despite the vitriol between many of their fans -- and whose managers believe in playing the game the right way. We have an umpiring crew who did the right thing by letting the teams take matters into their own hands. Did the friendship between Lou Piniella and Tony La Russa have something to do with it? I doubt it. I'm sure they'd get aggravated with each other should things have been done improperly. In this case, things were done how they should have been. Whether Pujols likes it or not, he knew he was going to wear some cowhide at some point Sunday. The reason he didn't charge is because it's part of the game (at least it used to be). You hit our guy in the head, so you are going to take one in a safe place as a matter of principle. The only person who owes Pujols an apology is his teammate, Wellemeyer.

Just check out a sampling of thoughts from the key parties:

Harden said after Soriano had been hit in the head, something "has to be done. You want to go in on him anyway, just challenge (Pujols). We were just going in there and if something happens, it happens."

"That's the difficult part of the game," Soriano said. "When somebody gets hit like that, we've got to respond. I feel sorry for Albert, but we've got to respond." ... Pujols, incidentally, said he wasn't concerned

"I'm not OK with anybody getting hit," (La Russa) said. "The only thing I've ever said, whether we hit somebody or they hit somebody, this is the big leagues ... you should never get hit in the head. The pitch doesn't get away. If anybody's got to improve his game, it's us. We're the guys who got the ball above the shoulders. I didn't see them doing anything wrong."

On the other hand, Braun is still peeved about the situation stemming from his intentional bean-ball, and rightfully so. I'm not sure I back the way he's going public for two-three consecutive days or basically daring Bud Selig to watch the game closely, but this is a matter which should have already been handled on the field. Instead, the umpires cut the Brewers off at the legs. They undermined the system that is supposed to work as it did for the Cardinals and Cubs on Sunday. Now, if the Brewers ever do retaliate, it's going to look like a petty, long-standing vendetta.

The art of the properly-used retaliatory bean-ball and the self-policing manner of the game is really dwindling these days. While I usually hate the stance taken by the old guard about how much worse the game is today than it used to be, this is one aspect where I'll agree. It's not just the players. Here are some examples where self-policing has been thrown out the window.

The commissioner's office wants to levy fines and/or suspensions.
Granted, this has become more of a reaction to the items listed below in an effort to prevent fights. Still, if a pitcher is fined for hitting a player after he's been shown up, this is effectively undermining the traditional baseball code where the game polices itself. In turn, if a pitcher doesn't want to get fined and/or suspended, he may choose not to retaliate. At this point, the fabric of the system falls apart and you risk fights and ejections after every single hit by pitch. When players aren't on their toes anymore and they get plunked, chaos ensues.

The umpires warn both teams before one of the teams has even had a chance to retaliate.
The Brewers-Pirates example is the most recent, but it happens all the time nowadays. One hit batsmen, both benches warned. It's just too knee-jerk, and it takes away from the old tradition. Hell, sometimes you even see an umpire throw a pitcher out without warning -- and then warn both teams.

I feel pretty confident there's no league-wide mandate for the umpires to warn both benches immediately or toss anyone when they suspect an intentional bean-ball either, because the umpires in the Cubs-Cardinals game didn't bat an eye when Harden hit Pujols.

Pitchers throw at batters when they actually shouldn't.
I'm on the fence as to whether it's acceptable to nail a guy after a few home runs when the other team isn't doing any over-the-top celebrating. I could see a little value, I guess, but it just seems a bit whiny to me. Like, I can't get you out, so I'm hitting you! There, take that! Seems like a 10-year-old type thing, no? You won't be shocked when I offer up my example, then. Roger Clemens and his ridiculous feud with Mike Piazza when they were playing for the Yankees and Mets, respectively. You see, Piazza owned Clemens to the tune of a .421 average, four home runs and 10 RBI in 19 career at-bats. The Rocket decided in 2000 -- when the rate numbers were actually much better than listed above -- that it was time to hit Piazza in the head. That isn't retaliation, it's cowardice. Those of us who watched Piazza play know that he never showed up opponents with excessive home run celebrations. Clemens was just too immature to accept the fact that Piazza was bettering him.

At least Shawn Estes later got the opportunity to repay the favor, by throwing behind Clemens in an interleague game with Piazza behind the plate. What goes around, comes around, Rocket. Great retaliation by Estes, serving up an example of how it's properly done. It's just too bad Estes missed instead of planting one in Clemens' lumbar area.

Teams continue retaliating when the matter should be closed.
In sticking with the most recent quality example of self-policing: What if the Cardinals turned around and hit Soriano again because the Cubs hit Pujols. You get into a neverending battle here. The way it works is, someone makes a mistake (whether intentional or not), you intentionally pay them back, and an unspoken truce is called. It's over. Turn the page.

Batters can't simply accept the fact that it's a part of the game.
Simply put, this one boils down to big old E-G-O. I know it hurts to get hit. I also know you can deal with the pain without making a scene. There is no bigger bruise than a bruised ego. It's probably not a coincidence that players started becoming more and more sensitive to getting beaned -- again, I'm talking about when it's warranted, not when Roger Clemens decides he doesn't want to deal with you -- when they started making millions of dollars per year. I don't resent them for that. I resent the ones who think anything makes them above the tradition of self-policing within baseball. Wear it like a man and get down to first base.

The retaliatory shot is not within the unwritten baseball code.
This is the biggest problem, because the players should all respect the health of each other. Obviously, just because these guys are major league pitchers doesn't mean they can put the ball exactly where they want on every single pitch, but you can't take chances with someone's physical well being. The intentional beanballs should never even approach the head. This is yet another area where Clemens was in violation of tradition (Go figure, huh?). In fact, this is one case where I'd totally support a fight. It's a scary thing seeing a pitch traveling close to triple digits toward your head, and the players who have that happen have every right to charge the mound. Again, this is assuming it was intentional. I'd also support an automatic ejection in this case. Messing with someone's livelihood is not part of the game. More recently, players are becoming increasingly aggravated if they are targeted in the knee area as well. The wrist and forearm area is also susceptible to injury. Basically, a player should be dotted somewhere between where the thigh meets the butt and the armpit area in the middle of the back. It's the biggest area of continuous flesh anyway, so why would the pitcher aim anywhere else?

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The good news is that it's not a lost cause to get things how they should be. With the overwhelming majority of managers knowing how the game is supposed to be played, we can only hope they pass down their knowledge and that young players accept it as they enter the league. There will always be ego-maniacs like Clemens who think they are above the law. Hopefully, those guys will become fewer and further between as the game moves past the tumultuous steroid era. Last Sunday's example provided by the Cubs and Cardinals should be the norm, not the exception.

As opposed to the Brewers-Pirates example, where the umpires intervened far too early and a player is still complaining about the situation two days later, the Cubs and Cardinals handled the matter within a few innings and both moved on.

Let it be a lesson to the rest of the league, including the commissioner's office and the umpires.