MLB Must Suspend Cole Hamels for Throwing at Bryce Harper

If the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals didn't have a rivalry before this past weekend, they almost certainly do now.

There was already tension between the two fanbases, with plenty of Phillies fans making the trip down to D.C. to fill up the Nats' home ballpark and turn it into "Citizens Bank Park South." The Nationals tried to counter that by planting a flag in their territory and showing some "Natitude." 

Winning two of three from the Phillies and keeping them at distance from first place in the NL East (at least for now) was an important statement for the Nationals. 

But the Phillies showed they still intend to be the big bullies of the division and still tried to go for the Nats' lunch money on Sunday night.

Cole Hamels threw his very first pitch to Bryce Harper right into the rookie's back. Maybe the plunking was intended as a statement for those who think Harper has gotten way too much attention thus far. 

Watch video of the play here.

Or perhaps Hamels' pitch was a message to the 19-year-old: Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

Whatever Hamels' intent, he made it clear that throwing at Harper was no accident. 

"I'm not going to injure a guy," Hamels told reporters after the game. "They're probably not going to like me for it. But I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't trying to do it."

Hamels went on to say that nailing Harper with his first pitch was a nod to the old ways of the game (via the Daily News' David Murphy).

"It's something that I grew up watching. I'm just trying to continue old baseball, because I think some people get away from it. I remember when I was a rookie, the strike zone was really, really small and you didn't say anything, because that's the way baseball is.

"But I think unfortunately sometimes the league is protecting certain players and making it not as that kind of old school, prestigious way of baseball."

Maybe I'm not the baseball historian that other writers are, but I missed the part that said all rookies should be struck with a baseball at 90 mph as an initiation to the big leagues. Even cocky first-timers with bad haircuts and Natitude like Harper. 

That's pretty different from getting a tight strike zone before earning a wider one, to use Hamels' comparison. 

Hamels hit him safely, it could be argued, plunking him in the small of the back. But what if he had lost control of the pitch and it sailed toward his end? What if the pitch ended up hitting Harper on the elbow, wrist or hand, depending on how he turned, and it ended up causing an injury?

Welcome to the big leagues, Rook! You've got a broken hand!

What's most stunning is that Hamels admitted to throwing at Harper. The usual move is to say the pitch got away, with a wink and a smirk that lets us know the interviewee is totally full of crap. Hamels obviously didn't want anyone thinking he's full of crap.

Nonetheless, Hamels shouldn't be rewarded for his honesty, even if you find his candor refreshing or amusing. 

Major League Baseball needs to suspend him.

The last time I wrote something like this, when Ubaldo Jimenez hit Troy Tulowitzki during spring training, several commenters told me I was overreacting.

I understand there is a place in the game for throwing inside on a batter. Sometimes, a pitcher needs to stick up for his teammates or make a statement that they won't back down. But throwing at a batter and risking possibly injury for him as some kind of initiation or reaction to all the hype that he's been receiving is foolish and reckless.

Hamels could have accomplished the same objective by pitching Harper in tight and backing him off the plate. It happens all the time. Chin music, buzzing his tower, etc. Hamels has also demonstrated enough control during his big league career to do so without actually hitting a batter.

Now, if Harper dove across the plate or turned into the pitch, so be it. That happens in baseball as well. 

Doing something deliberate that could injure another player has to be addressed. Some might say a takeout slide at second base or launching into a catcher at home plate fall under the same category.

But those plays are often impulsive, made during the heat of the game. Hamels' decision was as pre-meditated as it gets. 

Maybe Hamels wanted a week off so he could work on negotiating a new contract with the Phillies. If that's the case, the MLB should accommodate him and give him that time off with a suspension. 

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