April 12, 2013

$147-million pitcher Zach Greinke lowered his non-throwing shoulder to absorb the impact of the charging Carlos Quentin...

... and Greinke's left collarbone broke. Video at the link. Quentin had been struck by a pitch.
The slugger started walking toward the mound and Greinke appeared to say something. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Quentin then charged the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner, who is 6-2 and 195 pounds. They dropped their shoulders and collided, and Quentin tackled the pitcher to the grass....

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was livid, saying it shouldn't have happened because Quentin was hit on a 3-2 pitch in a one-run game.

"That's just stupid is what it is," Mattingly said. "He should not play a game until Greinke can pitch. If he plays before Greinke pitches, something's wrong...."

45 comments:

Eric said...

It was a d-bag move to charge the mound in that situation. Greinke wasn't headhunting. If he wanted to hit him, he would have drilled Quentin in the back.

Leland said...

The equivalent of the entire Astros team going on the DL.

Shouting Thomas said...

The Dodgers estimate a 6-8 week recovery period.

No way!

It will take a year for the guy to completely recover the strength in his shoulder.

I broke my collar bone two summers ago. Bone mends in a hurry and you don't wear a sling for long, but the full return of motion and strength takes a year.

Greinke is several decades younger than me, but I still think he's unlikely to be fully effective for quite a while.

Steve said...

There are unwritten rules to baseball. Greinke knew the rules and plunked him as a reprisal for hitting a homer his previous at bat. You mess with the bull you get the horns. Pete Rose used to just run straight to first base no matter what. Everyone thought that was great and sporting. Pete would spike the first or second baseman and say, "That's for [your pitcher]."

The bigger question is, "where the hell was the catcher?" His job is to tackle the batter from behind.

Shouting Thomas said...

When I was a kid pitching in American Legion ball, I hit the same frigging batter three times in one game.

The guy crowded the plate, stood at the front of the batter's box, and hung his head out over the plate. He was cheating, trying to reach the outside corner on my fastball. I had a big, swooping curveball that looked to batters as if it was going to hit them in the head. Then it dropped in over the middle of the plate at their knees.

So, the bastard was just in the way of my curve ball. The curve ball was my off-speed pitch, so it didn't hurt much when I hit him.

He never did charge the mound.

Howard said...

Don Mattingly is American league yankee trash converted to a hated dodger. Sorry the guy got hurt, but that's baseball.

ST makes surprise post: " I me mine me me me I mine I I I me me me."

Shouting Thomas said...

Since you enjoy my posts so much, Howard, I suggest you read my weblog, too.

Cody Jarrett said...

He doesn't pitch with his left shoulder, ST. That's why the story says "turned his non-throwing shoulder". If you ever bothered to read the stories instead of just skimmed the headlines before you launch into some nonsense or other. Or a long story about yourself and your exploits.

What's the matter? Don't you have anything about feminists, women in general or gays ruining baseball?

You're slipping. Have more coffee.

tim maguire said...

One of the best "should be" sports rules I've heard about: if a player commits a foul and another player is hurt as a result, the offending player is out for as long as the injured player. If it's a few days, the penalty is a few days. If it's a career ender, the penalty is a career ender.

Guaranteed you'll see less stupid behavior.

kjbe said...

I half expected Greinke to run or curl up into a ball on the ground.

I don't know, I guess I'm not that interested either way. Would have been nice, though for Quentin to put on his big boy pants and just take first, but I know that's not how these things usually roll.

Shouting Thomas said...

That's why the story says "turned his non-throwing shoulder".

I read the entire story.

If you've ever pitched seriously, you'd know that the throwing motion involves the entire body.

Compensating for pain or lack of strength in your non-throwing shoulder can have seriously negative consequences for your mechanics, which can lead to injuring your throwing arm.

Shouting Thomas said...

And, yes, boys, I acknowledge how much it is paining you that I am having fun, and that I'm free from the tyranny of the feminists and gays in the office.

Choke on it.

Hope you're inhaling the asshole fumes from the feminists and gays as you pursue your awful careers stuck in a fucking office.

Cody Jarrett said...

While that's certainly true, ST, if you had to pick a part of the body that contributes the least to the pitching motion, it would be the opposite shoulder.

I was never a pitcher--natural catcher!--but I have a friend who pitched for the Yankees, Cubs, Rangers, Padres and Twins, played in an All-Star game and finished 3rd in Cy Young voting one year. Beyond pee-wee baseball, what'd you ever do?

Cody Jarrett said...

"And, yes, boys, I acknowledge how much it is paining you that I am having fun, and that I'm free from the tyranny of the feminists and gays in the office.

Choke on it.

Hope you're inhaling the asshole fumes from the feminists and gays as you pursue your awful careers stuck in a fucking office."

Funny though. For a guy who's always blah blah blahing that he's having such fun, your so full of anger and dyspepsia.

Shouting Thomas said...

Beyond pee-wee baseball, what'd you ever do?

Played American Legion ball.

Invited to tryout camp with the Cubs and offered the chance to play at the University of Illinois.

Decided to pursue my ambitions as a musicians instead.

Anger he smiles tow'ring shiny metallic purple armour.
Queen jealousy, envy waits behind him.
Her fiery green gown sneers at the grassy ground.
Blue are the life giving waters taking for granted,
They quietly understand.


Jimmy Hendrix, Axis Bold as Love

Shouting Thomas said...

Funny though. For a guy who's always blah blah blahing that he's having such fun, your so full of anger and dyspepsia.

Oh bullshit.

Shouting Thomas said...

Men really get into this bullshit of thinking that they can define other men and box them into a corner. Ritmo's got a bad case of it.

It's just the bulls batting heads over the pussy.

Cody Jarrett said...

"Decided to pursue my ambitions as a musicians instead."

So in other words, one ladder rung above "nothing".


And by the way--I'm not butting heads with you over pussy. It's not always that simple.

I'm also not trying to define you. I just find about 75% of your posts annoying (25% funny, or funny-ish) and today I felt like busting your nuts.

Shouting Thomas said...

So in other words, one ladder rung above "nothing".

Impressing people with achievements is not always the purpose of doing things. I had a hell of a good time playing baseball.

This sniping you're doing is one of the key issues that any action oriented person has to learn to deal with.

I've got a thick skin. It just rolls off my back.

I play in front of some sort of audience two or three times a week. Almost all of the time, the audiences are very sweet and grateful. From time to time, there's always one guy who wants to take a potshot. Why that guy gets a burr up his ass is anybody's guess.

Dealing with that shit is just part of the game of being an action oriented person.

Unknown said...

I can't imagine that any penalty Quentin receives will be equal to the damage done. Mattingly's outrage is justified and his suggested remedy exactly on target, in spite of him being a former Yankee.

There's too much mound charging going on in this place as well. Just make your pitch. You are not the topic.

SteveR said...

Based on the idea that your non pitching arm has very little to do with your pitching arm, I guess we should expect Jared Weaver to be back to pitching this weekend, after all he only broke his non throwing elbow.

But the whole batters being offended by being thrown at machismo has become quite silly in recent years. Too much television and publicity in general.

Shouting Thomas said...

One of the worst injuries a pitcher can suffer is anything that causes severe pain in the big toe of the foot he uses to toe the rubber.

The injury can be inconsequential.

The pain will cause the pitcher to completely change his motion in compensation, with potentially severe consequences for his throwing arm.

ricpic said...

Why would Greinke deliberately hit Quentin on a 3-2 pitch in a 1 run game? Quentin has a history of being hit, I think he was either the team leader or the league leader in that statistic last year. Which means he must really crowd the plate. Given how many times he's been hit I don't think Quentin just lost it and charged Greinke in a blind rage. I hope he's severely penalized.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I thought Congress got all the steroids out of professional baseball.

traditionalguy said...

The experts would do well to watch the video.It is clear what did and did not happen.

The three-two pitch count is no proof the pitcher did not throw at him to send a dominance message...it was only a good cover story BS for the LA big market favoring guys to hide behind when Saint Greinke's arrogance backfired on him

Quentin was not crowding plate at all. The pitcher sent him a message and then taunted him.

Quentin then did what many competitive athletes do: he went into a murderous rage and destroyed the son of a bitch.

Now, that is what message sending looks like.

BarrySanders20 said...

Greinke has amazing control. It looks to me like he hit Quentin on purpose.

Charging the mound is stupid, particularly in the NL. Just drill Greinke the next time he is up to bat, and maybe he thinks twice before doing that again.

Interesting penalty to have to sit out as long as the player you hurt.

bagoh20 said...

That's a perfect punishment: no play till his victim can.

traditionalguy said...

So Saint Greinke and his million dollar a game paycheck has to sit down 6 weeks. And for that we tell the man Saint Greinke tried to kill with the LA Dodger team's complicity that he must sit out 6 weeks.

Well than the rule should require the LA Dodgers team to also sit out 6 weeks for lying and covering up for their hit man pitcher.

I agree.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I was never a pitcher--natural catcher!-

LOL. Perhaps too much information? Hmmmmm?

Tim said...

We Giants fans are soooo disappointed for the Dodgers.

Really.

This is just sad.

Awful.

Maybe they'll call up Roger Clemens?

AllenS said...

Re: intentionally hit the batter

I've watched my team, the Brewers lose I don't know how many games over the years on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th in a tie game, because the pitcher couldn't intentionally throw a strike.

Eric said...

wow, what a bunch of ignorant comments. Quentin is no Don Baylor that's for sure.

dreams said...

Quentin = stupid.

BarrySanders20 said...

Allen, that's why I described Greinke as having amazing control. Big difference between him and whoever the Brewers use at the end of games. When Greinke was with the Crew, he put the ball wherever he wanted it. That skill got him $147 million somewhere else.

TradGuy, did Greinke or the Dodgers team bus run over your dog? That's some good old fashioned sports hatred.

Steve Koch said...

TradGuy is probably right. I'm fine with batters charging the mound when a pitcher hits them on purpose so long as the batter drops the bat first. Immediate retribution by direct confrontation seems like a fair way to resolve the issue. Why should a pitcher get away with hitting batters on purpose? This is a case where the pitcher hit the wrong guy.

kjbe said...

Vin Scully should broadcast everything.

mccullough said...

Greinke has pulled this shit before. He intentionally hit Quentin and then mouthed off about it, like he has done in the past.

Maybe Greinke has finally learned his lesson.

traditionalguy said...

Back in the days of Tommy Lasorda and Darryl Strawberry playing against the Braves, I experienced the default position in the media that Dodgers are sacred super heroes and the other team just needs to accept that.

Quentin happens to be an LA born and raised student athlete who graduated from Stanford and battles hitters and hits home runs, once like Ron Gant did for he Braves.

Greinke and the Dodgers are just astounded that their BS is not working.

Ipso Fatso said...

Quentin was a strange guy when he was with the White Sox and he is a strange guy now. He should have never charged the mound. I could understand it if Grienke was head hunting, but he was hit with what looked like an off speed pitch. Quentin is a flake.

traditionalguy said...

All the Quentin's critics are saying amounts to consternation that he was intelligent enough to pick his spot beat the Dodgers at their intimidation game when they over reached this time.

Bad Quentin! Bad. Bad. Bad.

So who will throw at Quentin next? Stay tuned.

Original Mike said...

" I'm fine with batters charging the mound when a pitcher hits them on purpose so long as the batter drops the bat first. Immediate retribution by direct confrontation seems like a fair way to resolve the issue."

Fine, but he broke the guy's shoulder and is deserving of retribution himself. Suspended for the season seems fair.

traditionalguy said...

But Greinke chose to stand his Mound and fight the fast man aimed at him.

Greinke should have just hit the ground and covered his head; or he could have run away towards center field.... you know like the defenseless batters he brags about throwing his 100 mph balls at and pretends he doesn't know what they are talking about are expected to do.

mccullough said...

Greinke has been a head hunter for years and plunks guys just for getting the better of him. He's had this coming for awhile. If not Quentin, then someone else. He got what he deserved.

Steven said...

So who will throw at Quentin next?

Hopefully, everyone. Full-fastball-speed, no-question-about-it headhunting, on every single pitch at every single at-bat, for the rest of Quentin's entire damn career.

That would finally shut down this "charge the mound" bullshit that assholes like you think has any business being in the game. Charging the mound should be a career-ending move.

Druceratops said...

I can't help but be amused by the insanity that this event has engendered...

"Charging the mound should be a career-ending move."

However, "Full-fastball-speed, no-question-about-it headhunting, on every single pitch at every single at-bat, for the rest of Quentin's entire damn career." is obviously a measured and appropriate response.

As my three year old would say, "That is just silly...."