Pedro vs. the Nationals...No Contest

I am not a violent man by nature, but when an opposing pitcher hits two of your guys, including hitting one guy twice, the next game you face him you have to put one in his ear hole. This was the case a week ago when the New York Mets’ Pedro Martinez hit two Washington Nationals’ batters, including hitting Jose Guillen twice. Pedro has in fact hit Guillen 5 times in 40 at bats. It is no surprise to find out the Guillen has a very good lifetime average against Pedro. I guess Pedro figures Guillen is getting on base anyway; he might as well expedite the process.

Last night, the Mets came to DC to face the Nationals and Pedro was on the hill. I thought this would be something the Nationals and tough as nails manager Frank Robinson would have been salivating over. I did not think that anything would go down right off the bat because all involved in the game were warned not to try anything fishy, like burying a fastball in someone’s kidneys. Ha, like that has ever stopped anyone in baseball from a little retaliation.

I watched the first few innings before going to a friend’s house for The Amazing Race and Lost. I watched Pedro buzz a few into Jose Guillen in the first, nothing dangerous, but they were up and in. Then Pedro came to the plate and I watched as Tony Armas, Jr., the pitcher for the Nationals, buzzed a couple of high fastballs in to Pedro. Pedro never ducked, dodged, dived, or ducked. He actually looked bored. He was finally walked.

I understood at that time that Pedro would probably not be hit in the first couple of innings, especially with a man on and a couple of outs. Besides, both teams want to win the game and putting a man on first and losing your starting pitcher in the first couple of innings is not the way to win a game. I just knew that around the 5th, 6th or 7th inning when Pedro would be up for what may be his final at bat, he would feel the sting of the horse hide or hear it buzz past his noggin.

Wrong! Wrong! Nothing happened. No one was hit, no bench clearing brawls, nothing. What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here? I was sure that someone would go down, if not Pedro, then one of the Mets’ superstar hitters such as Carlos Delgado or Carlos Beltran. Nothing doing.

As I said I am not a violent man, but like Mr. Tony says, this a Sopranos situation. Because nothing was done, the Nationals looked like Johnny Sack after he broke down and sobbed at his daughter’s wedding. I’m like Phil Leotardo in the fact that I have lost respect for the Nationals and Frank Robinson. Of all managers I would expect Robinson to make the call for a plunking. He is so old school that he was one of the first students. I guess things in baseball have changed. It’s too bad.