You can't say you didn't see this coming. With tensions boiling over for the Philadelphia Phillies on a Sunday night in Washington, D.C., the tensions appeared to turn into some real bad blood. Two days later, we are still trying to sort out what happened at Nationals Park on Sunday night, but one thing is clear: folks, we have ourselves a rivalry.
We probably had it already when the Nationals and Phillies traded barbs in spring training, but it is now a rivalry in full swing, with apparent real hatred between the two ball clubs. And even though things probably started back in February or March with the teams playing out a verbal war from Viera, Florida all the way to Clearwater, it took until an early May showdown for tempers to flare and a rivalry to kick into another gear.
In the first inning of Sunday's game, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels deliberately drilled Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper in the back with a pitch. Harper jogged down to first, and eventually found his way to home plate by stealing home later in the first inning, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. Harper got the last laugh in the first inning, but now the question becomes: who will get the last laugh in 2012?
Hamels was in defense mode on Monday, but did admit to hitting Harper on purpose. Welcome to the Major Leagues, kid. What was the unexpected part of the aftermath of the Phillies' 9-3 victory Sunday night was the response from Washington GM Mike Rizzo, who called Hamels' hitting of Harper "gutless" and "classless", and said Hamels was trying to do too much by being "fake-tough."
Hamels indeed was suspended Monday by Major League Baseball. The five game suspension seemed to be something that Hamels, and likely all of baseball knew was coming, but for Phillies fans, it was a refreshing take on things after a long weekend in D.C. The Nationals won the first two games of the series, albeit with some help from a very poor (and very undermanned) umpiring crew in Friday night's contest. Hamels knew he had to stand up for his teammates and his city, and he did just that by going after Harper. It was old-school baseball, something that Rizzo does not seem to understand.
Hamels' admittance of hitting Harper was probably unexpected, but at the very least, he played by an old creed: honesty is the best policy.
"I was trying to hit him," the two-time All-Star lefty said Sunday night. "I'm not going to deny it. I'm not trying to injure the guy. They're probably not going to like me for it, but I'm not going to say I wasn't trying to do it. I think they understood the message, and they threw it right back. That's the way, and I respect it."
Hamels seems to understand the situation, but Rizzo does not. Even Harper had very little to say after the game, which speaks volumes about the 19-year-old's character. Instead, it was his general manager who seemed to come to his defense in a time when he didn't even need it. Hamels was hit later in the game by Jordan Zimmermann, but heaven forbid anybody mention that Zimmermann threw at Hamels on purpose. It sure seemed that Rizzo wouldn't have anything to say about it. The two teams handled the situation where it should be handled: on the field.
Hamels, a 2008 World Series MVP, does not seem to have the respect of Rizzo, who seems to also have no idea what baseball is about. Take the on-field policing out of the game and let things run amok, I suppose. Rizzo backed his 19-year-old, fresh to the game and to the world of Major League Baseball. It didn't really seem like he needed it.
Hamels had more teammates come to his aid Monday, with Jonathan Papelbon and Chad Qualls backing up the Phillies' left-hander. Qualls ended up getting in a spat with former teammate Morgan Ensberg over Twitter, but did call it a type of friendly fire situation later on in the day.
This, my friends, is baseball. Mike Rizzo did not treat it as such, and therefore made a story out of nothing. The Nationals ended up having a successful weekend at home whatever way you want to slice it. They won two out of three from the Phillies, and have established themselves as a presence in the National League East. Harper, in the early going, has made enough of an impression that Rizzo had to come out and defend him like a Little League dad even though he didn't seem to need that kind of support. When Hamels hit Harper, it wasn't really a shock, it was baseball. Zimmermann took care of his business later on by hitting Hamels, and the two teams moved on.
Where these two teams will be in October is anybody's guess. But we know where they stand in early May. The Nationals, at 18-10, are in first in National League East. After a disappointing 5-2 loss to the New York Mets on Monday night, the Phillies are now 14-16, in last place, and five games back. It's still early, but one thing is clear: there shall be bad blood between the Phillies and Nationals. Let the games begin.
Sources: ESPN.com, MLB.com
Victor Filoromo is a born and bred Philadelphia sports fan, and has been through the best and worst of Philadelphia sports. He is a regular contributor to the Yahoo! Contributor Network 's NHL, MLB, and NBA coverage.
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