Temperes flared in Milwaukee at last night’s Brewers-Marlins game. Miami’s star slugger Giancarlo Stanton was drilled in the face by Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers.
Stanton suffered facial fractures and dental damage thanks to the pitch – it was a scene you never want to see on the diamond. Perhaps it would be wise for him to look at information such as a dental implant cost.
After a lengthy delay, Fiers then hit Reed Johnson with his next pitch. Neither seemed intentional, but given the Marlins’ best player was on his way to the hospital, the team angrily stormed out of the dugout and got into it with Fiers. Emotions were boiling over on the field as multiple Marlins were ejected. And they were boiling over in the broadcast booth.
Just have a listen to Marlins analyst Tommy Hutton call out everyone under the sun – from Fiers, to the umpires, to the need for the team to stand up for their star player going down. By the end of this clip, he sounds like a general ready to lead his troops into combat…
There was also this gem of a quote from Hutton…
"I'm having a heckuva time watching my language." – Tommy Hutton on Marlins Brewers debacle
— NBC 6 Sports (@NBC6Sports) September 12, 2014
It’s rare to see an announcing team get that worked up over a situation, but you can understand where they’re coming from after seeing what happened to Stanton. However, it’s impossible to think from a neutral perspective that Fiers meant any harm. Hutton probably could have dialed it back juuuuuuust a little bit in that regard. Hopefully the anger towards him will subside. The pitcher appeared upset on the field and after the game he expressed remorse and hopes of reaching out both to Stanton and the Marlins.
Mike Fiers fought back tears when talking about Stanton. Hopes to reach out to Stanton & Marlins to express well wishes.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 12, 2014
Combine all the factors here at the end of a long season and it’s easy to understand why this became such a volatile situation.
