By ZACH BERMAN
Published: May 7, 2012
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels eschewed evasiveness Sunday night when he acknowledged intentionally hitting Bryce Harper, the Washington Nationals' heralded rookie outfielder, with a pitch. Major League Baseball responded to Hamels's actions — and perhaps his candid remarks, too — with a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine Monday.
"He could have been more discreet about it or a little less honest," Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel said before the Phillies' game Monday night against the Mets. "Actually, the way I looked at that, baseball's going to take care of that. The way you take care of that is with the two teams on the field."
Hamels, an All-Star last year, declined to speak to reporters Monday. But he created a firestorm Sunday when he delivered a 93-mile-an-hour fastball into the small of Harper's back. Harper ran to first, advanced to third on the next at-bat, and stole home when Hamels attempted a pickoff at first base. Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann then hit Hamels on the left shin during a third-inning bunt attempt.
Zimmermann, who was neither suspended nor fined, denied after the game that he intentionally hit Hamels. Hamels was clear about his intentions.
"I was trying to hit him," Hamels told reporters after the game. "I'm not going to deny it. It's something I grew up watching. That's what happened. I'm just trying to continue the old baseball."
Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo was not amused by Hamels's homage to a bygone era. In comments to The Washington Post, Rizzo may have incited a National League East rivalry that is beginning to reveal its discord. Rizzo said he had "never seen a more classless, gutless" act in his 30 years in baseball, and added: "Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school. He's fake tough."
Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to comment when asked about Rizzo's remarks. But Amaro also voiced disappointment in Hamels and said the Phillies liked to take the "high road."
"If what he said is true, I'm kind of disappointed, one, in the fact that it happened but two, more importantly, that he made those kind of comments," Amaro said before Monday's game.
Both Manuel and Mets Manager Terry Collins, baseball lifers in their 60s, noted that it was once commonplace for pitchers to send messages with a wayward fastball. Manuel remembered batting behind Harmon Killebrew in the Minnesota Twins' lineup four decades ago and pitchers knocking him down after a Killebrew home run. Collins said touted young players were introduced to the league with a plunking by a veteran pitcher and a tight strike zone from the umpires.
"Are you going to be a pro and walk away, or are you going to raise hell?" Collins said. "Everybody wants to feel you out a little bit. If that was Cole's thing, that is what they did years ago."
The suspension is not likely to hurt the Phillies, who have a day off Thursday and can adjust their pitching rotation. But the suspension, combined with Rizzo's comments, will probably stoke a budding rivalry. The teams meet for a three-game series starting May 21.
"I think if we beat them on the field, that's going to take care of our business and that's how we settle it," Manuel said. "I looked at that as, once they hit Hamels, that's baseball and that's back on even ground."
