Nyjer Morgan could be hit with lengthy suspension
Fights are not uncommon in baseball, but they’re not exactly a regular occurrence, they just seem to happen every so often.
So when Nyjer Morgan charged the mound on Wednesday night you could have hardly been surprised, especially considering Morgan’s history. But consider that he was already hit by Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad, before Volstad threw behind him, can you really blame Morgan for defending himself?
The Washington Nationals leadoff man was plunked after running into Marlins catcher Brett Hayes on a play at home plate in the 10th inning the night before. That collision caused Hayes to dislocate his shoulder and as expected prompted some retribution the following night.
That retribution came in the fourth inning on Wednesday night with Morgan not reacting to being hit. Morgan then stole two bases with the Nationals trailing by 11 runs. Volstad, clearly unimpressed by being run on twice, decided it was time to exact some more revenge, much to Morgan’s anger.
“It's only the fourth inning, there's still a lot of game left. If they are going to hold me on, I'm going to roll out,” Morgan said.
“I thought it was over after [the fourth inning], but once I saw the ball go right behind me, it's time to go. Once is good enough, but twice, no, it's time to go."
Go he did, charging the mound swinging for Volstad and grazing his face before being clothes-lined – WWE style – by Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez. The benches then cleared, and when the fracas finally calmed down Morgan was ejected and escorted off the field.
While being escorted, with his jersey ripped, Morgan raised his hands and gestured to the booing Florida fans. And it is that reaction which might have cost Morgan an extra few games in suspension. But Morgan does at least have one supporter in the form of Baltimore Orioles centre fielder Adam Jones who supported Morgan via Twitter.
“Glad how Nyjer Morgan went out to the mound. He stood up for himself and tried to knock Volstad the h**l out. U have to like that.
“He was drilled. That was fitting. Then they threw behind him. Not acceptable. U already sent the message,” Jones said.
Jones’ support is unlikely to help Morgan when MLB reviews the incident and considering Morgan was given a seven-game suspension for throwing a ball into the crowd which hit a fan in the head, he could find himself with quite a long suspension. The 30-year-old has appealed that decision but if it fails combined with the likely upcoming suspension for sparking the brawl, Morgan could miss the rest of the season.
Morgan has been described as unstable by people in the media, even drawing criticism from his own manager for the way he behaves on the field, and Wednesday certainly didn’t help people’s perception of him – The MLB might just make an example of him.
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