A baseball fight used to be like an English rugby scrum: lots of pushing, shoving and holding but not much violent conduct. But when San Diego's Carlos Quentin charged the mound like a linebacker, he came at the pitcher, Zach Greinke, like he was an undefended quarterback.
Greinke is the Dodgers $147 million man. As a result of hitting Quentin on a 3-2 pitch count in a one run game in the 6th inning (all factors of being not intentional), Greinke broke his left collarbone. With this type of injury, he could be out anywhere from one to three months. It could be more depending on how the injury affects his mobility, mechanics and velocity.
The Dodgers gave away starter Aaron Harang for nothing. Two other former starters, Chris Capusano and Ted Lilly, remain on the roster. They will be pulled from the pen to start in Greinke's place.
Quentin is going to be suspended for his actions. The Dodgers could also be facing suspensions for Matt Kemp and Jerry Hairston, who started a second bench clearing incident. It is uncertain if either player bumped an umpire, which is an immediate suspension. Former player Joe Torre is the new MLB sheriff. Torre is an old school player, used to the era where players retaliated to protect their teammates. But since teams commit so much money to star players, the league may have to protect those assets against the old school rules.
Quentin and Greinke have a history of brush backs, hit by pitch and retaliation during their Royal-White Sox days. Quentin is the most hit batter in baseball today. He lunges at ball over the plate, opening up his arm to the inside pitch. Greinke has the reputation for throwing at batters after a teammate got hit. So both players were fused if something sparked a fight.
The teams play again next weekend, which should be another umpire nightmare. A blood feud between the high payroll Dodgers and the low payroll small market Padres is sure to boil over. It will depend if the umpires warn both benches before the first pitch, or allow the Dodgers to get their pound of flesh to end it.
The Dodgers bumped up their payroll on pitching to keep up with the arms race with the champion Giants. The Giants continue to roll with their rotation and bullpen to first place in the NL West. The Dodgers will continue to play catch up all season. The loss of Greinke is a major blow for LA especially since the injury was caused by the "macho" unwritten rules of the game.
