Bryce Harper Hunter Strickland Brawl

Overview

Bryce Harper Hunter Strickland Brawl refers to a fight between baseball players Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Hunter Strickland of the San Francisco Giants that occurred when Harper attacked the Strickland after being hit by a pitch.

Background

On May 29th, 2017, with his team down 2-0 in the eighth inning, Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland hit Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper in the hip with a fastball. Harper then charged at Strickland, tossing his helmet before the two exchanged blows, leading both teams to charge the field in an attempt to separate the players (shown below).

Developments

Immediately, people speculated if Strickland hit Harper intentionally. Strickland had given up home runs to Harper in the 2014 National League Division Series,^[1] leading to speculation that the pitch was intentional. Strickland denied such claims, stating that he was only trying to pitch inside and missed. No players were injured in the brawl. Strickland was suspended for six games and Harper for four.

Online Reaction

Online, several moments of the fight were joked about by Twitter users. Some of the most prevalent jokes centered around Harper's helmet toss, which badly missed Strickland despite Harper being at point-blank range.

Others joked about photographs of Harper being restrained by his teammates, which out of context seem like his teammates are hugging him from behind. The jokes were covered by Twitter Moments^[2] and Washington Post.^[3]

Search Interest

External References