Originally Posted by
GambleBotsChafedPenis
I wont argue the punch...the slide was obviously terrible and late as hell...just saying a sucker punch from the angle that they didn't have their hands up ready to fight and he cold cocked him...Toronto is sure as hell gonna view it as a sucker punch and perception is reality so to speak...they don't drop the hammer on a longish suspension, odor will get rolled into and be rehabbing a torn ACL because they are gonna barrel roll into him in the next series...
again 100% the slide started it...I never played at as high of a level as your kid did, san, but I played 2nd through HS and I always remembered that late slide shit...couldn't brawl or you'd be off the team, but nothing that a well placed spike wouldn't take care of if it could be done...
Two grown men in that situation, approaching one another repeatedly. Bautista had been shoved. Be ready.
If that video doesn't convince you.
Moving on. I really don't see anything so terrible in this whole chain of events. You couldn't fight in high school.
You let the pitchers take care of business. That's what keeps this whole thing in check. You throw at my best player Bautista - you are doing so KNOWING that you are exposing your best player to the same.
If that sounds fair to you and your best teammate doesn't mind getting drilled - then hit Bautista.
Pitchers hitting players intentionally is part of the game. In high school you do it to scare the fuck out of the underclassmen and then pitch the outer edge. It's also the way to settle injustice like bad slides and insults.
Personally, I think that might not have been an intentional HBP given the score and situation and the pitcher being on the bubble career wise.