Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 230 pounds. San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland is 6 feet 4 and only 10 pounds lighter. On Monday, we found out what a fight between them looks like.
In the eighth inning of the Nationals' 3-0 victory at AT&T park, Strickland hit Harper with a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. The reaction was more ice hockey than baseball. Harper, 24, pointed his bat at Strickland and charged toward him, throwing his helmet to the ground as he ran.
Strickland stood his ground, and the pair swung at each other before the benches cleared. Asked what he had thought when Harper began swinging, Strickland replied: "It's go time."
It's kind of funny to watch, though the consequences for Harper and Strickland, a relief pitcher, could be severe. Forbes reports both are likely to be suspended.
"You either go to first base or you go after him, and I decided to go after him," Harper said in quotes reported by ESPN.
Harper had not faced a pitch from Strickland since the 2014 National League Division Series between the Nationals and the Giants, when Harper hammered two home runs off Strickland's pitches.
I love Bryce Harper. #Nats pic.twitter.com/LcMnIxNXka
I love Bryce Harper. #Nats https://t.co/LcMnIxNXka
— Notorious Z (@DCzWall) May 29, 2017
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