LA Dodgers lose $147M Man Indefinitely

12 Apr, 2013

Padres slugger Carlos Quentin felt that getting hit by pitches by Zack Greinke during the 2008 and 2009 seasons was justification enough for rushing the mound and slamming into the pitcher – hard enough to break his left collarbone.

Greinke’s Los Angeles Dodgers teammates were so angered that Matt Kemp, among four players ejected after a brawl Thursday night, confronted Quentin as they left Petco Park. Big Padres lefty Clayton Richard, police and security broke it up.

Several minutes earlier, Quentin told reporters that his history with Greinke “has been well-documented. That situation could have been avoided. You’d have to ask Zack about that.”

The Dodgers were furious Quentin – hit by pitches 116 times in his big league career – didn’t just trot to first base. The Dodgers thought the situation, a 3-2 pitch with L.A. ahead 2-1, hardly called for a purposeful plunking. And they said Quentin crowds the plate, denying pitchers the opportunity to pitch inside without hitting him.

Quentin felt otherwise.

“It’s a man’s game on the field,” he said.” Thoughts aren’t present when things like this happen.”

Greinke, the Dodgers’ $147 million man, had his left arm in a sling and a dazed look on his face as he told his side of the story.

Juan Uribe’s pinch-home run in the eighth put the Dodgers ahead, two innings after Greinke hit Quentin on the left shoulder with 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.

Quentin and Greinke ended up at the bottom of a huge scrum as players from both sides ran onto the field and jumped in.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was livid.

“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. He caused the whole thing. Nothing happens if he goes to first base.”

Greinke twice hit Quentin with pitches when they were in the American League.

“I’ve been hit by many pitches,” said Quentin, plunked more often than any other major league hitter since the start of 2008. “Some have been intentional, some have not been. For the amount I have been hit and my hitting style, I’m going to repeat: I have never reacted that way.”

Kemp found Quentin in the hallway near the players’ exit as they were leaving the ballpark after the game. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound Kemp briefly went nose to nose with Quentin before Richard, who is 6-5 and 245 pounds, stepped between them. Police and security moved in to break it up.

Both teams said the melee could have been avoided. They play another three-game series at Dodger Stadium beginning Monday night.

“I never hit him on purpose,” said Greinke, who still appeared shaken after the game. “I never thought about hitting him on purpose. He always seems to think that I’m hitting him on purpose, but that’s not the case. That’s all I can really say about it.”

Greinke was asked if he said something to Quentin before the slugger rushed the mound.

“I’m not really talking about this. I said what I said to you guys.”

Asked if there was bad blood between the teams, Greinke said: “Now there probably is. I don’t know if there was beforehand.”

He said the injury was “awful. It’s silly that something could happen like that. I’m disappointed.”

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