Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Andrew McCutchen (24) hits a double during the second inning of their game against the Chicago Cubs Thursday, April , 2022 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill.
Mjs Brewers08 4 Jpg Brewers08
Benches cleared at Wrigley Field after the Cubs plunked Andrew McCutchen and the Brewers outfielder took issue with taking one for the team.
There is no love lost between the Cubs and Brewers.
The two teams hate each other.
The fans hate each other.
And things went to another level on Saturday when the benches cleared after Andrew McCutchen took a fastball off the side of the hip/thigh/butt region.
Benches clear after Cubs hit Andrew McCutchen as revenge for Ian Happ leaving with an injury
For context, the Brewers have made it a habit to plunk Cubs hitters, especially catcher Willson Contreras. And earlier in the game Ian Happ had to leave the game after he was hit by a pitch.
Since 2020, Brewers pitchers have hit Cubs batters 27 times with Contreras on the receiving end of those 15 times. That’s a staggering number.
The announcers said there was intent to hit McCutchen. Well, yeah! Happ was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game after taking one off the knee. And with the staggering number of times the Brewers have hit a Cubs batter, it’s understandable why there was the intent behind the pitch.
McCutchen is a veteran of the game and knows what happens between the lines. I’d be upset with taking a fastball off my body too. But he took it off the fleshy part of the thigh and it didn’t come anywhere near his head, which is a no-no.
The unwritten rules of baseball can be dumb a lot of the time, but the Brewers should know if you’re going to hit Cubs batters with the same kind of regularity that Wisconsinites put mustard on brats, you just have to accept the consequences of your actions.