Nats, Harper down Giants in 3-0 belter
SAN FRANCISCO: An enraged Bryce Harper charged the mound, fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland after getting hit by a fastball, setting off a wild brawl on Monday during the Washington Nationals’ 3-0 win over the Giants.
Drilled in the right hip by a 98 mph heater on Strickland’s first pitch in the eighth inning with two outs, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Harper didn’t hesitate. The slugger pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off.
No one got in Harper’s way as he rushed the mound. His eyes were wide as he flung his helmet — it sailed wide of Strickland, it might’ve slipped — and they started swinging away. The 6ft 4in Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied.
Harper and Strickland were both ejected. They have some history between them — in the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland, and the All-Star outfielder glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases.
Tanner Roark (5-2) struck out six and allowed six hits in seven innings. The NL East leaders opened a nine-game West Coast trip with their sixth win in eight games.
Ryan Zimmerman hit his 14th homer, off Matt Moore (2-6) in the second.
In Minneapolis, Carlos Beltran homered and singled during an 11-run burst in the eighth inning against Minnesota’s beleaguered bullpen as Houston overwhelmed the Twins 16-8 in a matchup of AL division leaders.
The Astros combined for eight hits, two walks, a hitter batter and a balk in the eighth to rally from an 8-2 deficit. The Twins tried three pitchers in the inning, a day after they used eight relievers in a 15-inning loss to Tampa Bay.
Beltran finished with four hits and Carlos Correa had three, including a home run. Alex Bregman also homered for Houston, who had a season-high 18 hits, 13 of them in the last two innings.