Harper Not A Punching Bag
Dusty: "What's a man supposed to do? He's not a punching bag."
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 29, 2017
Of course, this quote came after the Memorial Day brawl between Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland. There were many memorable quotes from the Nats after this 3-0 win, but this one stood out because it reflects what many fans might’ve thought during the fight.
It’s safe to say I agreed with Baker’s stance on this. If Harper doesn’t go out and charge the mound, then it’s possible Strickland doesn’t even get suspended for hitting him on purpose after Harper hit two home runs against him in the NLDS back in 2014.
Looking at this situation, it was good to see Baker be candid about the situation and I’m sure he understood why Harper did what he did. But, the helmet throw from Harper was probably unnecessary.
As everyone knows by now, Baker is always going to stick up for his player. It’s no surprise he stuck up for Harper, which is what most of baseball did when realizing the situation.
On a secondary note, it was good to see the Nats not retaliate in the rest of the series. They probably realized that Strickland was being a rogue reliever by carrying the grudge for three years. Plus, you can say the Nats got the ultimate revenge by sweeping the Giants and giving up a total of four runs in the three game series.