What kind of punishment are you expecting for Hammel?

[Mondo Trasho]

You see, thats exactly what we're talking about. If it was an Orioles pitcher who hit a Yankee guy on the hand, everyone would obviously be calling it an accident. But because its a pitcher from our rival, its obviously intentional and he should be ejected and suspended. You can't have it both ways... Its about as homer as it gets to think that somehow the players on the Orioles are better human beings than other teams players, and would never get frustrated and try to hurt someone. They're humans just like anyone else, and these things can happen.

You get me all wrong. I want neither one suspended nor tossed in the first place. Unless it was clearly 110% obvious that there was an intent at injury. I'm from the John Chaney school of thought: I have no problem sending in the goons to send a message.

However, if you're going to say Hammel deserves a suspension and that he intended it, be even handed and say the same thing about Sabathia last year. All I heard from people after that was that CC was "such a nice guy" who would "never intentionally hit someone". Spare me the insult to my intelligence...

[Nigel Tufnel]

If he was trying to hurt someone WHY THROW A SLIDER?

I have no idea if Hammel was throwing at him or not, but maybe you throw a slider because it looks less suspicious. Or maybe it just slipped - who knows? Still, I don't see how the fact that it was a slider automatically means it was a mistake.

[AlbionHero]

You get me all wrong. I want neither one suspended nor tossed in the first place. Unless it was clearly 110% obvious that there was an intent at injury. I'm from the John Chaney school of thought: I have no problem sending in the goons to send a message.

However, if you're going to say Hammel deserves a suspension and that he intended it, be even handed and say the same thing about Sabathia last year. All I heard from people after that was that CC was "such a nice guy" who would "never intentionally hit someone". Spare me the insult to my intelligence...

If the Orioles hit a few home runs before that pitch, sure. But CC got the last 2 guys out... you don't eject a guy for hitting one guy randomly in a game. You do it if the situation warrants retaliation.

[Mondo Trasho]

If the Orioles hit a few home runs before that pitch, sure. But CC got the last 2 guys out... you don't eject a guy for hitting one guy randomly in a game. You do it if the situation warrants retaliation.

Again, I think baseball is too sensitive about this. I personally see no problem with "sending a message" in a situation like that (3 straight home runs), unless the intent was to injure not merely mess around. Or, if he hit multiple hitters in a row. Barely hitting a guy with a slider doesn't count. Tuiasasopo was a just a little baby. I personally wouldn't want any pitcher ejected or suspended in either case (Sabathia or Hammel).

Anyway, the point is, I don't care if Hammel did it on purpose or not. He shouldn't be suspended. But he will. Only because he plays for the Orioles. If he was a Yankee or a Red Sox player, he'd be off the hook.

That is an indisputable fact...

[Can_of_corn]

I have no idea if Hammel was throwing at him or not, but maybe you throw a slider because it looks less suspicious. Or maybe it just slipped - who knows? Still, I don't see how the fact that it was a slider automatically means it was a mistake.

My point is that folks are saying he was "frustrated". My point is if he is frustrated enough to go at the head he would be throwing a fastball. If he wanted it to not look suspicious he would have waited another couple pitches.

[crissfan172]

I have no idea if Hammel was throwing at him or not, but maybe you throw a slider because it looks less suspicious. Or maybe it just slipped - who knows? Still, I don't see how the fact that it was a slider automatically means it was a mistake.

It was a backup slider, which only happens when the ball slips out of a pitcher's hand. If the batter was left-handed, I could understand claims that it may be intentional. However, nobody is throwing at a player with a backup slider.

[Nigel Tufnel]

It was a backup slider, which only happens when the ball slips out of a pitcher's hand. If the batter was left-handed, I could understand claims that it may be intentional. However, nobody is throwing at a player with a backup slider.

I dunno, couldn't you also throw a backup slider if you wanted the ball to tail back into a right-handed hitter? I don't know if that's what Hammel did, but I think it's a possibility.

[LookitsPuck]

Hammel has never been ejected prior to that ejection.

[crissfan172]

I dunno, couldn't you also throw a backup slider if you wanted the ball to tail back into a right-handed hitter? I don't know if that's what Hammel did, but I think it's a possibility.

Well...a backup slider doesn't have much, if any, tail so probably not. If pitcher's could throw backup sliders with ease, they would do it all the time. Impossible to hit since it looks like a slider but doesn't move.