Hamels Admits Hitting Harper On Purpose

[Big Bid'Ness]

From:realgm

After Sunday's game between the Phillies and Nationals, Cole Hamels admitted that he hit teenage phenom Bryce Harper on purpose.

"I was trying to hit him," the left-hander said. "I'm not going to deny it."

Hamels nailed Harper in the small of the back in his first at-bat. The Nationals outfielder went on to move over to third and steal home for the game's first run.

"That's something I grew up watching, that's kind of what happened. So I'm just trying to continue the old baseball because I think some people are kind of getting 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," Hamels said.

"But I think unfortunately the league's protecting certain players and making it not that old-school, prestigious way of baseball."

In other words, Hamels said, "It's just, 'Welcome to the big leagues.'"

SMH

 

[WHO-DEY-BENGALS_18]

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo took exception to Cole Hamels intentionally hitting Bryce Harper with a pitch on Sunday night, telling the Washington Post that Hamels is "fake tough" and that he should be suspended by the league.

Rizzo responded Monday morning, telling the Post's Adam Kilgore: "I've never seen a more classless, gutless [expletive] act in my 30 years in baseball.

"Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school. He's fake tough. He thinks he's going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year-old rookie who's eight games into the big leagues? He doesn't know who he's dealing with."

A rivalry has begun to take shape between the surprising first-place Nationals and the five-time defending National League East champion Phillies after Washington took two of three over the weekend.

After Harper was hit by the pitch, he took first base without any disruption. He later stole home when Hamels attempted a pickoff throw to first base. Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann then hit Hamels with a pitch in the third inning, which resulted in a warning for both benches.

Zimmermann said afterward he had no intention of hitting Hamels.

"I wish [Hamels had] been a little bit more, what do you call it, not so honest, or dishonest, or discreet, that might be the right word," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said on Monday on 94.1/610 WIP. "What I saw was the next time Hamels came up to bat, they definitely retaliated, he got hit on the calf and he could have got hurt. If the guy would have hit him hard on the bone part of his leg, that could have hurt. ... I like to think it was dropped right there and the rest of it will be done baseball-wise."

According to the Post, the league is reviewing the incident on Monday and a suspension could be handed down since Hamels admitted the hit-by-pitch was intentional.

"This goes beyond rivalry and all that stuff," Rizzo told the Post. "This points to, you take the youngest guy in baseball. He's never done a thing. And then Hamels patted himself on the back. Harper's old school. Hitting him on the back, that ain't old school. That's [expletive]."