Charging the Mound

  A very interesting part of baseball is the good ol' mound charge. This can occur for a variety of reasons, but most commonly happens when a batter is hit by a pitch and thinks it intentional. Then he comes running like a bull at the pitcher, and occasionally fists will fly, a hit will be landed, and there are often ejections. But seeing as how mound charging is almost always bad for everybody involved, why does it happen as often as it does?

  I remember in 2017 Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland plunked Bryce Harper with a fastball. Harper, with the nasty temper that he has, threw his helmet at Strickland and rushed him. The benches cleared, like they always do, and both players were suspended. The Nationals' best player and the Giants solid reliever were out for three and six games respectively.

  But why? Why did Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper, and why did Harper charge?

  Well, I can tell you both of those things. Bryce Harper had a history of hitting bombs off of Strickland, especially in the postseason (2014), and Strickland had had enough of it. And Harper can have a very mean temper, so that spells disaster. Bryce Harper is prone to those things because of his questionable attitude. 

  This is definitely not the biggest mound charge or fight that has happened is the history of the majors. I just remember this one because at the time I was a 9 year old diehard Giants fan.

  Unfortunately, mound charges aren't the only fights that occur in the big leagues; not by a longshot. I remember this past year there was a controversy because third baseman Jose Ramirez punched and floored  shortstop Tim Anderson for not helping him up after Ramirez reached second. There had been tension between them before, and they both don't have the greatest tempers in the world, so the boxing match insued.

  It's funny because Guardians (or Indians) commentator Tom Hamilton calls this like it is a boxing match with his now famous line, 'Down goes Anderson! Down goes Anderson!' 

  So, while mound charges and brawls are juicy and interesting, they are ultimately a loss on both sides, due to ejections, suspensions, and injuries.