Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen spiked his bat in anger after being drilled square in the back by a fastball in the ninth inning of Saturday night's game in Arizona.
Diamondbacks reliever Randall Delgado plunked McCutchen with a 2-0 fastball and was immediately tossed.
Delgado's beaning of McCutchen would seem to be a retaliatory strike on behalf of their All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who suffered a broken left hand after being hit by a pitch in Friday night's game. Warnings were issued by the umpires before the game in anticipation of that possibility, which explains why Delgado was ejected right after McCutchen was hit.
McCutchen deserves credit for showing restraint, as well as the rest of the Pirates. They had a right to be angry, and these circumstances could easily have led to an all-out brawl.
As for Delgado, he should prepare for a suspension from MLB. D-backs manager Kirk Gibson may receive punishment as well, as the directive to hit McCutchen clearly came from someone in charge. There's no place in the game for this garbage.
Video via MLB. H/T BLS.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
