Kerry Wood Fined For Retaliation

Bruce Miles appears to be the only one reporting that MLB has fined Kerry Wood for his Sunday night plunking of Jed Lowrie. Odd to me that he gets fined for hitting a guy in the buttocks, when the Red Sox pitcher who put into question Marlon Byrd's ability to see gets off scot free.

about 1 year ago dfrancon 58 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

big difference which you fail to grasp

Byrd was not targeted, Lowrie was

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 25, 2011 8:00 AM CDT reply actions

how do you know what dfrancon grasps or does not grasp? he was simply making a point

by holy mackeral on May 25, 2011 8:13 AM CDT up reply actions

Thanks, holy!

But I’m a she. (Girls like baseball, too.) :)

by dfrancon on May 25, 2011 8:15 AM CDT up reply actions

because I can read what she wrote

the league does not hand out fines to pitchers who accidentally hit people, even those who hit hitters in the face, but it does hand out fines to those who throw at someone on purpose.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 26, 2011 7:38 AM CDT up reply actions

Well, she found it odd that Wood was fined and the other wasn't

which is a pretty clear indication that she doesn’t grasp the situation

I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers

by Nunyabidness on May 25, 2011 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions

a nice person would simply write "the difference is that Lawrie was hit intentionally"

rather than throw in an insult, such as “you dont grasp”, which basically means " you are stupid". My point is that you can make a point or argument without insulting the other person.

by holy mackeral on May 25, 2011 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions

hmmm, you criticize me for assuming I know what the original poster grasps or does not grasp

and you turn around and make an assumption that I was being insulting … how interesting. To fail to grasp something means to miss or misunderstand something, it does not mean you are stupid, and it was clear from her post, she failed to discern the difference between an accidental HBP and an intentional HBP hence my original post.

Finally, to criticize someone and then turn around and do it yourself, that could be considered stupid.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 26, 2011 7:44 AM CDT up reply actions

I don't know if it would have been as big of a deal if Quade wasn't holding up his fingers letting us know what the "score" was.....He made it obvious.

He should get fined too….

by TJ11 on May 25, 2011 8:10 AM CDT reply actions

And Hendry fined for hiring Quade?...

and Ricketts fined for keeping Hendry?…and the Tribune fined for selling to Ricketts?…and…that enough fines, TJ? ; -)

I've come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen. ~Bob Lemon, 1981

by Easy Ed on May 25, 2011 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm fining myself for that ticket I bought back in 2009...

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on May 25, 2011 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions

MLB had to approve the sale, right?

MLB needs to fine itself.

by Danwood on May 25, 2011 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions

I am fining myself

and I plan to appeal it

Chronologically inept since 2060
Q: Why did Chuck Norris cross the road?
A: Ditka
Ditka's mustache can block a Chuck Norris round house
Ditka's mustache can kill two stones with one bird
It is better to spend money like there's no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there's no money! - Irish toast.

by Cubbie-Tim on May 25, 2011 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions

I just read a story about Frank Chance

fining himself for breaking one of his own rules. He reported himself fined $25 for playing poker after 11pm. He lost track of the time.

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 25, 2011 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions

i don't 'fail to grasp' that.

I simply don’t believe it. How can you say Byrd wasn’t targeted?

by dfrancon on May 25, 2011 8:10 AM CDT reply actions

She is a mind reader. Be careful what you think. These are not the Cubs you are looking for.

by Rick B on May 25, 2011 8:28 AM CDT up reply actions

He was a pitcher with awful control

making his first start of the season. There was no earthly reason to hit Byrd and nobody hits anyone in the head. It was NOT intentional. The Cub hits were, but they were done right and part of baseball. I don’t have a problem with it and baseball tradition is also that the other players will likely kick in to cover the fine.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either

by Doggie Stalker on May 25, 2011 8:54 AM CDT up reply actions

I respectfully disagree.

by dfrancon on May 25, 2011 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions

You think that Byrd was targeted?

by dmlichte on May 25, 2011 9:16 AM CDT up reply actions

It would simply be absurd for the guy to intentionally hit Byrd in the head

I was watching the Yankees game last week and Mike Gonzalez who is just dreadful hit a Yankee in the head in a much more important situation. He got tossed by the ump but both the Yankees and the broadcasters were stunned. Nobody thought he had done it intentionally. I don’t know anyone besides Erich Show that ever hit a player in the head on purpose and he probably meant to hit in the upper body ( bad enough). There is no way Byrd was hit intentionally,

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either

by Doggie Stalker on May 25, 2011 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions

What is there to disagree about?

by Dcr18 on May 25, 2011 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions

The look of horror on his face

convinced me it was unintentional.

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 25, 2011 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions

There's basically nothing I can see to suggest otherwise...

it was an awful injury, but all of the context clues suggest it was unintentional.

by SouthernCub on May 25, 2011 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions

I do not see any way that was intentional

and if it were, better believe the pitcher WOULD NOT have called him at the hospital to see how he was. Wood was intentional, and even had Quade not signaled how many plunks on each side, would have resulted in a fine as retaliation is not allowed, even if justified.

by Cubbie-Tim on May 25, 2011 12:12 PM CDT up reply actions

Sox catcher was set up for a very high pitch.

So I can see how it would appear that the pitch was intentional. Though I agree that there would be no real reason to hit Byrd, that pitch was not inteded for the strike zone.

by shadyglennbeckert on May 25, 2011 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

You're saying the pitcher intentionally threw at his face?

Nobody does that.

I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers

by Nunyabidness on May 25, 2011 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions

No. But pitchers will throw high and inside to a batter to move him from the plate

I think Aceves tried this and accidentially beaned Byrd.

by shadyglennbeckert on May 25, 2011 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions

and a small part of it is owned by Byrd

hitters today crowd the plate to take away the inside part, and i have bitched about that for years. Hitters have put on armor to bat so they could feel safe doing so, and i have seen hitters start to walk towards the mound all worked up over a pitch that was too inside for his liking, only to be informed it was a strike by the ump.

No one wants to see someone get hurt, but a pitcher has to own his plate, and that includes going inside

by Cubbie-Tim on May 25, 2011 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions

Worst offender

is Reed Johnson. He goes up there with all that armor on and literally dares the pitcher to even pitch the inner half of the plate without hitting him. I’ve seen him get hit twice this year on pitches that I am convinced would have been called strikes.

I gather he got hit again tonight, but I didn’t see it.

Baseball needs to address this. Batters wearing armor for protection and then sitting in the strike zone in an attempt to get hit is a distortion of the spirit of the game.

by azjazzman on May 25, 2011 10:39 PM CDT up reply actions

Baseball has needed to address that for some time

I agree re: Johnson, but Biggio and Bonds were doing that in the 1990’s.

by Shanghai Badger on May 26, 2011 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions

there are many ways to say and explain it

ESPN Stroke Count for the month of May: 3

by jesus christos on May 25, 2011 6:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Why would The BoSox have targeted Byrd?

If a Cub pitcher had done that to a BoSox player, I doubt you would be claiming it was intentional.
The reality, it was a terrible accident. The vast majority of time when a pitcher intentionally throws at someone, the pitcher aims for the torso, the butt in particular, it is the biggest target (the head is pretty small and much harder to hit) and unlikely to do serious damage (unlike a head shot). When a pitcher intentionally aims at a batter, he does exactly what Kerry Wood did.

Finally a pitcher who makes a habit of doing throwing at the heads of batters is not going to be long for this league. His own teammates would set him straight because they would get tired of other teams throwing at them in retaliation.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 26, 2011 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions

Raising the legitimate question...

…. why do teams feel they have to retaliate for “a terrible accident”?

Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation

by Al Yellon on May 26, 2011 8:08 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

there was no need for Wood to retaliate, it clearly was an accident

but I suppose he thought he was honoring the baseball code by “protecting” his teammates. At least he did it right plunking the guy in the butt.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 26, 2011 8:45 AM CDT up reply actions

It sends the right message.

That message being: “stop throwing high an tight if you can’t hit your spots.”

The Cubs should pass a hat to pay for Wood’s fine.

MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown

by D98 on May 26, 2011 10:08 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

agreed

by Cubbie-Tim on May 26, 2011 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions

I don't think Byrd was targeted

If anything I could have seen the umpire ejecting Aceves because his control was threatening to the hitters.

"Easy on the words, brother,'' Quade said.

by RiskyBusiness on May 25, 2011 9:34 AM CDT reply actions

Sadly that is not really a reason for ejection

It does remind of my all time favorite scene in a baseball movie. In Bull Durham, the catcher played by Kevin Costner tells the pitcher ( Tim Robbins) to hit the mascot, a guy in Bull costume who is some 5 to 10 feet behind and to the side of the plate. The pitcher is confused but does as he is told hitting the mascot in his rump. When the next batter steps in Costner tells him the guy is throwing 95 miles an hour but has no control and he has no idea where the ball will go. He and every succeeding batter stays WAY off the plate for the rest of the game.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either

by Doggie Stalker on May 25, 2011 10:11 AM CDT up reply actions

Love that scene, Costner's delivery to the batter is perfect on that one.

by bdlugz on May 25, 2011 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions

The difference seems to be intent...

Just because Byrd’s HBP was dangerous doesn’t mean it was intentional. Aceves didn’t have any control. You have to take it in context. There was no logical reason for Aceves to want to hit Byrd.

Wood’s beanball on the other hand was pretty clearly intentional. He threw the first pitch WAY inside and waist high. That pitch missed. So on the next pitch, he threw even further inside (at the same height) and hit Lowrie on the rear. A clearly-intentional HBP. And this was following Quade showing the count of HBP in the series.

The fine of Wood (and the lack of a fine for Aceves) is appropriate. Byrd’s injuries are unfortunate, but not justification for a fine. Wild pitches happen.

by SouthernCub on May 25, 2011 10:11 AM CDT reply actions

Clarity

Just to clear it up…the term “beanball” is reserved for a ball hitting a hitter in the head. Wood didn’t throw a “beanball”. He retaliated with a HBP. Just making that clear.

"When the day comes with that last winning run and I'm crying and covered in beer. I'll look to the sky and know I was right to think someday we'll go all the way." - Vedder

by krummy12 on May 25, 2011 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions

Fair enough...

by SouthernCub on May 25, 2011 10:38 AM CDT up reply actions

Thanks for clarifying that

people calling any ball that hits a batter a beanball is like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 26, 2011 7:55 AM CDT up reply actions

What's worse is when people say the batter got "beamed"

by Shanghai Badger on May 26, 2011 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions

Like this?

Or like this?

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 26, 2011 8:59 AM CDT up reply actions

Well, I'm more of a scotch drinker, myself

by Shanghai Badger on May 26, 2011 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions

Like this?

Or like this?

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 26, 2011 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions

More like this....

by bdlugz on May 26, 2011 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions

ahh the ladies of Tilted Kilt or Bag Pipes

by Cubbie-Tim on May 26, 2011 6:35 PM CDT up reply actions

Commanderette Zircon: Shall I have Snotty beam you down, sir?
President Skroob: [Hesitates] I don’t know about that beaming stuff. Is it safe?
Commanderette Zircon: Oh, yes sir, Snotty beamed me twice last night. It was wonderful.

by Danwood on May 26, 2011 9:00 AM CDT up reply actions

truly

I thought only 8 year-olds said that, but I heard an adult say it … very sad

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 27, 2011 7:41 AM CDT up reply actions

This was a case where Wood...

was showing his “clubhouse leader” responsibilities. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is the way the game has been played forever. I’m sure Wood has no problem paying his fine to defend his teammate. If there was no retaliation for Fukudome and Byrd, now that would be a problem.

by montecarlo on May 26, 2011 4:59 AM CDT up reply actions

And not even an eye for an eye-

It was a meaningless fastball to the butt for a serious beanball. The Red Sox probably were relieved to get the formalities out of the way.

And I agree with you about Wood’s role here.

MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown

by D98 on May 26, 2011 10:15 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Just a goofy question.

Were both benches warned before the game. I know they were warned the night before, but I didn’t see the game on Sunday.

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 25, 2011 10:17 AM CDT reply actions

No

They were warned again after Wood hit Lowrie, though.

"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root

by Clutch16 on May 25, 2011 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions

I didn't think they could fine him unless there was a warning.

Fasten those seat belts...

by katie casey on May 25, 2011 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions

They can toss guys without warning as well

Umpires discretion.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either

by Doggie Stalker on May 25, 2011 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

I missed it

I must have been watching the bulls game when he hit him. But if he did retaliate it should have been behind him first then on the ass

by lshaffer_69 on May 25, 2011 1:45 PM CDT reply actions

not really

In that situation, where one of your guys got hit in the face, you don’t throw behind a batter, you do exactly what Wood did, drill a guy in a place where it will do no harm. Message sent.

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren

by lookingdeadred on May 26, 2011 7:58 AM CDT up reply actions