MLB handed down suspensions for Sunday’s bench-clearing brawl between the Angels and Mariners this week, and Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker was the hardest-hit player with 7 games.
But after seeing all the videos and context for the brawl, it’s awfully easy to come away thinking that Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz’s three-game suspension was too lenient. He seemed to admit he hit Winker on purpose.
The whole ordeal stemmed from the Angels taking issue with how the Mariners pitched to Mike Trout on Saturday. Trout avoided two high-and-tight pitches — after a meeting at the mound — with one coming close to his face. Trout wasn’t hit, but the Angels were determined to send a message on Sunday.
An excellent breakdown of the brawl from Jomboy Media showed Wantz evidently admitting to Winker that he “had to” hit him with the pitch. The exchange took place around the 9:40 mark. (NSFW language, video plays in separate YouTube tab)
As the fight was starting to settle down, Winker and Wantz came face to face. And Wantz, who wanted to apologize, appeared to tell Winker that he had to hit him. Winker responded, “You had to hit me? Why did you need to hit me?”
Winker and the rest of the Mariners were adamant that the Angels overreacted since they never actually hit Trout with a pitch. So, the response of throwing behind Julio Rodriguez and then hitting Winker was taking the whole situation too far.
The full breakdown was definitely worth a watch. MLB fans also had thoughts on the video.