Cubs’ Barrett slugs Pierzynski, leads to melee
Barrett suspended 10 games for igniting brawl
It’s not often you’ll find me- or anyone else for that matter- defending A.J. Pierzynski, who is almost universally despised (42% of players in the AL Central listed Pierzynski as the player they’d most like to see get beaned), sometimes even including his teammates. I loved him when he played for Minnesota, because, while he was an agitator, at least he was OUR agitator. After he was traded to San Francisco, he quickly wore out his welcome, developed a reputation as a “cancer” in the clubhouse. This on a team that already had one cancer in Barry Bonds. Apparently two cancers were one too many for the Giant’s fragile collective psyche.
Nonetheless, when a player gets suckerpunched by an opponent after a rough but clean play, you can’t very well hold the receiver of the punch at fault. The Chicago Cubs’ Michael Barrett is not a played normally given to losing his composure, but in last Saturday’s interleague game against the Chicago White Sox, he committed one of the lowest offenses I’ve seen committed by a professional ballplayer. This ranks right up there with AAA ballplayer Delmon Young being suspended for 50 games after tossing his bat at an umpire.
After a close play at the plate, in which Pierzynski took out Barrett with a hard slide, Perzynski stood up to look for his helmet. Barrett looked at Pierzynski, and then cold-cocked him for what seemed to be no apparent reason. Pierzynski never saw it coming, and to his credit he didn’t retaliate against Barrett, though no one would have blamed him if he had. Even a week later, Barrett still hasn’t been able to explain why he sucker-punched Pierzynski. It was just about the most classless thing I’ve seen on a baseball field in quite some time. How Barrett got off with only a 10-game suspension (which for some reason he feels justified in appealing) is beyond me.
In the second inning, Pierzynski knocked Barrett over at home plate before the throw arrived and slapped the plate after the collision as the ball got away. Barrett then punched Pierzynski.
It was as simple as that. No attempt to injure, no dirty slide, no elevated spikes, nothing. Barrett just frankly lost it.
I understand that emotions will sometimes get the best of even the most composed individual. Pierzynski’s slide was hard, but it was legal, and it was clean. Barrett had no reason to gripe about the play. He was, after all, blocking home plate, and as a catcher he understands that home plate collisions are an occupational hazard. Frankly, I think a 10-game suspension is a wee bit on the light side. If a minor leaguer can be hit with a 50-game suspension for throwing a bat at an umpire, doesn’t Barrett’s 10-game slap on the wrist for sucker-punching an opponenet seem laughable? It would seem the International League got it right…which is more than can be said for Major League Baseball
