In case you didn’t already know, it’s October. That means that the baseball postseason is in full swing, with the final four teams battling it out for a World Series title.
And in case you missed it, tensions are beginning to run high in the National League Championship Series.
Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino was, in a phrase, ticked off. Of course, nobody likes to have a 94-mph fastball speeding in the general direction of his head.
Out in left field, Dodgers star Manny Ramirez was furious. As the benches in both dugouts cleared, Ramirez sprinted into the infield, shouting toward any Phillie he could lay his eyes on. Clearly he could recall Game 2 of the series, when Phillies hurler Brett Myers flung a baseball behind Ramirez.
Behind the plate, Dodger catcher Russell Martin was no doubt still feeling pain in his knee from a stray pitch that hit him earlier in the game.
Clearly there is a good deal of bad blood between the Dodgers and the Phillies, which is to be expected in a do-or-die seven-game series. But what looked to many fans ““ both at Dodger Stadium and around the country ““ like an ugly incident was in actuality evidence of one of the beautiful caveats that make baseball unique.
All ballplayers, at any level of play ““ from the major leagues down to high school ““ know that there is a code to be followed. That code was put into action Friday when Myers threw a baseball behind Ramirez.
You see, in the national pastime, there are no unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, no intentional fouls, no flags for unnecessary roughness and no penalty box. In baseball, there are only bruised ribs and bruised egos, hits and hit batsmen. It’s a sort of mentality that seems to say “an eye for an eye.”
In other words, you hit our guy, we hit yours. The Dodgers waited until the next game to answer Philadelphia’s challenge, and they did it with a blazing fast retort that nearly cost Victorino his head. Yet the umpire gave no disciplinary action other than a warning to each team. There were no ejections. No punches were thrown. Instead, just the warning.
That is the baseball code, and that is what makes baseball such an intriguing game. In a historical and social sense, the sport is undeniably democratic.
That is, each baseball game is governed by the players. In a Western sense, they take the law into their own hands.
Even Victorino, the target of this baseball governance, knew he was going to be hit. Following the pitch, he pointed to his ribs as if to say: “Hit me in the side, not my head.”
Retaliation is just part of what makes the game unique. The beanball is the ultimate way to erase bad blood. Following the pitch and the clearing of the benches, the incident was done.
In a competitive sense, Hiroki Kuroda’s errant throw may have helped spark the Dodgers. In an entertainment sense, when the baseball “slipped” from his hand, it created a buzz that was lacking from the series.
Immediately, the stakes were raised for Game 4, with the Dodgers desperate for another win at home to even up the best-of-seven set.
Many may downplay the incident as barbaric, but I think it is more a means of social equality. By throwing at the Phillies, Los Angeles showed that it wasn’t about to be pushed around in its own house. The team showed that it was ready to respond and not ready to roll over and play dead despite a 2-0 series deficit.
Some people might frown on beanballs, but they are as much a part of the game as a home run or a double play. But with the players taking the law into their own hands, look for the rest of the series to be an epic showdown.
If you would rather get hit in the ribs than on the head, e-mail Salter at ksalter@media.ucla.edu.