By now, everyone’s seen or at least heard about the incident that occurred in the top of the 8th inning in Monday’s Memorial Day matinee between the Giants and Nationals. Hunter Strickland, possibly in response to a pair of monster playoff home runs hit off him by Bryce Harper in 2014, pegged Harper in the hip with a fastball, and chaos ensued.
Giants play-by-play voice Duane Kuiper joined Murph & Mac on KNBR Tuesday morning to discuss the incident, which he said was a brawl that “probably needed to happen.” However, speaking on the subject of brawls in general, Kuiper said he isn’t a fan of their effect on the sport as a whole.
“Those brawls are fun to watch, but when you really think about it, really is it good for the game? It’s not, it’s not good for the kids watching it. It’s just not good to see MLB players do that. It’s not… I just wish those things wouldn’t happen,” Kuiper said.
For this specific incident, Kuiper said he understood that Strickland likely still holds a grudge over the 2014 playoffs, whether it’s right or wrong to do so. Kuip also said that Buster Posey did “the exact perfect thing you should do” given that Posey had the major ankle injury he suffered back in 2011. Kuiper noted that Posey is always keen to stay out of large gatherings on the diamond, whether they be celebrations or bench-clearing incidents.
Murph, Mac and Kuiper discuss the brawl throughout the clip below, but for Kuiper’s thoughts on the effects of brawls on the sport of baseball, skip to the 8:40 mark.