What does everybody think about head hunting???

Question

Today Alfonso Soriano almost got hit in the head after going into a HR trot (which was only a long single). Then a Braves pitcher threw at his head next at bat and was ejected. Is this wrong or right? Ozzie Guillen is famous for doing this. What do you guys think about this type of retaliation?

Answer 1

throwing at batters is for children who get mad that either their pitching is lackluster or the batter's hitting is amazing.  

Answer 2

it depends on the situation but that time WRONG

Answer 3

Headhunting is bush league! U don't hurt another man because ur not happy with how he acted. The best way to retaliate is to beat another team, not give a guy first base and a concussion

Answer 4

They are in First place and for Soriano to be basically be adding insult to injury to the Braves was unnecessary, If he wasn't doing that he would have a double so he deserved it.

Answer 5

Shrinking the heads is the toughest part! Oh!, that kind of head hunting.

Answer 6

Part of the game.  Always has been.  Always should be.  And do you know what?  I'll bet you $10,000 that Soriano doesn't go into a home run trot until he is sure the ball is out again.  And that is the point.

And hopefully his teammates will give him a kick in the @ss too.  When one guy showboats, the whole team suffers retaliation.  He should be a better teammate than that.

Answer 7

I am against throwing at any ones head, but the bean-ballll is alive and well in MLB as it should be. This game used to be played by Men now days its a bunch of millionaire premadonnas, for the most part with a few exceptions.

Answer 8

Throwing at another players head should be cause for an automatic ejection and a suspension that will actually cost the pitcher a start or two. If major league baseball had a commissioner with balls, then they wouldn't have the beanball wars that they have now. Bud Selig isn't any better at stopping bean balls then he was at stopping steroids.  

Answer 9

Planting one is part of the game and always will be, however going for the head is over the line.  

Answer 10

Plunking another player is perfectly okay, it is a part of the game, however, throwing at ones head could cause immense damage and even death. I don't mind hitting someone to send a message or let out frustration as long as it is reasonable, and throwing at someones head is definately not reasonable.  

Answer 11

If anyone thinks that an at-bat, an inning, a game, a division or even a world series is worth potentially ending someone's career or (worse) life, then they really don't have the correct priorities in life and should fill the batters shoes in the same position.

Answer 12

Inexcusable! No other way to say it.It's one thing to hit a batter on the arm or leg but permanent neurological damage could be done with a bean ball! Look back at the Red Sox Tony C.He lost the vision in one eye and this ended his career.

Find a better way to retaliate.These guys are not children and should not act like they are.If Ozzie is truly known for doing this he should be sanctioned by both the league and his team management.

Answer 13

I've never had a problem with purpose pitches, whether it is to establish the inside corner or to send a message. It's one thing to drill a guy in the ribs or the rear end with a BP-speed fastball, and even as a Cub and Soriano fan I wouldn't have had an issue with the Braves doing that to him in his next AB or even the next game. What he did was bush league and disrespected the game and his opponent.

That said, when a guy rears back and throws hard, up and in, that's completely out of line. Guys like that should be tossed and suspended. Regardless of the situation you should never deliberately put a players livelihood (and life) on the line. If a pitch gets away and that happens, that's baseball and people can live with it. But if you line it up and throw one at someone's head on purpose there should be some serious repercussions.

Answer 14

I am so against head hunting.

Let's look at tinight's incident.  Soriano insulted the pitcher who then retaliated by attempting assault.  That is so sixth grade.  How about funneling all that anger into getting him out.   Besides, if he stood there watching what he thought was a homer and consequently only got  single, didn't he do you a favor?  It really is to your advantage as a defensive team to have the batter take the most time getting down the line.

Head hunting is a dangerous practice.  I saw the career of one of my boyhood heroes come to a slow painful end as a rwesult of a beaning.  Tony Conigliaro, red Sox, 1967.  Suffered permanent double vision as a result of the incident, ruining what was on track to a brilliant career.

Brushback, throwing inside, occassionally hitting a batter are all okay, but once you intentionally go for the head, the act is criminal.