Pedro, the Nats and HBP's

Pedro Martinez faces the Washington Nationals again tonight. In his first start of the year, Mets pitchers hit Nats batters 5 times. Pedro hit Nats OF Jose Guillen twice, bringing the total number of hookups between the two to five. Then, one Mets batter (Catcher Paul LoDuca) was hit by a pitch and the Nationals pitcher and manager were ejected and suspended, as per league rules. The rules are stupid! I understand the reasoning behind the rules: umpires can warn both dugouts and then eject pitchers subsequently, rather than just haphazardly ejecting pitchers, and get control of the HBP's, endless retaliation and bench-clearing brawls.

Unfortunately, more rules aren't the way to solve all problems. There are usually ways around the rules. In this case, if you want to throw at the other team, do it early in the game. Get yours early. Then, once warnings are issued, sit back and let the other team retaliate and get punished. That's what happened in the Mets - Nats game. If the Mets hit 5 Nats, warn the Mets dugout. Why are the Nats being warned, they haven't done anything? The Mets should have been warned after Guillen was hit for the 2nd time, even though it didn't look like Pedro was throwing at him that time.

I don't have a problem with a few HBP's. I understand Guillen's frustration, but it's possible that the first ball Martinez hit him with just got away. It was way inside, so I hope it got away from him. Otherwise, he was throwing at him. The second one just looked like an inside fastball that got in a little bit farther than Pedro wanted and Guillen didn't look like he did a good job of trying to avoid it. I have a problem with Nick Johnson being hit the second time. He gets hit once, then hits a HR, then gets nailed again. The pitcher who threw that pitch should have been ejected and suspended.

Major league baseball needs to recongnize that the system currently in place doesn't work. Obviously, it doesn't work ... look at the Mets - Nats situation! It may work in some circumstances, but that doesn't let MLB off the hook. Suspensions are handed out after the fact all the time. Fine, eject the Nats pitcher and manager, but don't suspend them. Suspend the Mets pitchers who created the problem in the first place. The umpires weren't protecting the Nationals hitters, so it's hard to fault the ball being thrown at the Mets catcher.

Batters are going to get hit. One game I pitched in HS, I hit the same guy (Greg B.) two times in a row. I had fairly good control and wasn't trying to hit him, although I also played basketball against him and didn't particularly like him. Perhaps, subconsciously I was throwing at him, but it wasn't my intent to hit him. MLB should look at balls that hit batters and make a determination as to whether or not they were intentional. They should also consider where "intentional" balls are thrown. Obviously, Craig Biggio taking another HBP to get on base isn't the same as Johnson being thrown at for hitting a HR. Also, Johnson getting plunked in the rear end is much better than if he'd been drilled in the head. Perhaps, MLB could institute a policy for seemingly intentional HB's (hit batsmen) ... say a 5 game suspension for the 2nd intentional HB and a 5 game suspension for each intentional HB after that. That's a policy with teeth that still allows pitchers to work inside. Also, I would put in a policy for "unintentional" HB's as well. Maybe a 5 game suspension for every 3rd unintentional HB except for the 3rd and 6th ... so the 9th, 12th, 15th, etc. This allows an unintentional hit batter every 4th start without an repercusions (assuming about 32 starts during a season). The reason for the 5 game suspension is that is equivalent to one start for a starter. Additionally, game checks during the suspensions will be withheld and given to charity.