Too long in the estimation of Harper and his teammates. I mean baseball is a game where you don’t forget and you can hold grudges for a long, long time.” Ben Margot / AP Photo by Ben Margot / AP I know he took (Strickland) deep in the playoffs a couple of times and he probably took exception to that. “What’s a man supposed to do? He’s not a punching bag, he’s human with emotions. I mean, that’s the prime time to hit somebody if you’re going to hit them, it looked like it was intentional to me,” he said. “We were ahead 2-0, two outs and nobody on base. Nationals manager Dusty Baker had no doubt about Strickland’s intent. It’s on his finger and he’s able to look at it every single night.” “I don’t know why he’s thinking about it. Like I said, it was three years ago, over a thousand days, I guess,” Harper said. “I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I think (the Giants) were definitely shocked at the situation, shocked that he would do something like that three years later,” Harper said. Harper watched the second shot sail down the line, in Game 4, and glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases. In the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland. Harper attributed a scratch to Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon pulling him away from the brawl. No injuries were reported in either clubhouse. Harper and Strickland were both ejected, and are certain to face punishment from Major League Baseball. Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper. “I was trying to get in there to break everyone up.” Ben Margot / AP Photo by Ben Margot / AP “I’m OK, but why is that news?” Morse said. Giants teammates Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. “I was trying to go after him, with the helmet or with myself, just doing what I needed to do keep it going, I guess,” Harper said. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied. The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper’s eyes were wide as he flung his helmet - it wasn’t close to Strickland, it might’ve slipped, helmets are hard to throw accurately - and they started swinging away. “So it was a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.” “There were some big guys tumbling around out there,” he said. He said he wasn’t thinking about that accident, but was concerned about injuries. Posey got a concussion last month from a beaning. “Strick and him are the only ones that can answer why” the fight happened, Posey said. Giants star catcher Buster Posey stuck near the plate when Harper bolted, and stayed clear of the fracas as things escalated. No one got in Harper’s way as he rushed the mound. “My head was on a swivel, as quick as I could to not get taken out by somebody on their team or anything like that,” he said. The four-time All-Star pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off. This flashpoint came in their first matchup since then - with two outs in the eighth inning, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Strickland hit Harper with the first pitch, a 98 mph fastball. “I can see how that stands in people’s minds,” Strickland said. The two players have a history, stemming from two home runs Harper hit off Strickland in the 2014 playoffs. “You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him.” “You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can’t hesitate,” Harper said. Article content Your browser does not support iframes.
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