Cole Hamels says he's trying to bring old school baseball back with pitch that hit Harper
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Cole Hamels says he's trying to bring old school baseball back with pitch that hit Harper
David Murphy
Cole Hamels likely just cost himself some money in the way of a fine, but the new contract he continues to pitch his way into will more than cover the expense. After holding the Nationals to one run with eight strikeouts in eight innings of work on Sunday night, Hamels didn't beat around the bush when asked what he was trying to do with a first-inning pitch that hit 19-year-old super prospect Bryce Harper in the back.
"I was trying to hit him," Hamels said. "I mean, I'm not going to deny it. It's something that I grew up watching. I'm just trying to continue old baseball, because I think some people get away from it. I remember when I was a rookie, the strike zone was really, really small and you didn't say anything, because that's the way baseball is. But I think unfortunately sometimes the league is protecting certain players and making it not as that kind of old school, prestigious way of baseball."
Hamels channeled his inner Bob Gibson when explaining his mind-set.
"It's just welcome to the big leagues," said Hamels, "and I think he kind of did that to me."
Hamels was referring to the fact that Harper, who was awarded first base with two out, went first to third on an ensuing single, then stole home when Hamels threw to first on a pickoff play.
"If he continues to do that, he's going to make a really good name for himself," Hamels said.
Nationals righthander Jordan Zimmermann responded by hitting Hamels in the leg as he squared to bunt in his first at-bat of the game. Zimmermann told Washington reporters after the game that he was not trying to hit Hamels.
Hamels said he expected to get hit.
"I'm happy that's the way it worked because that's the way it should work," Hamels said.
Hamels emphasized that he was not trying to hurt Harper.
When a reporter asked when he decided to welcome the kid to the big leagues, Hamels offered his first "no comment" of the night.
Earlier, Charlie Manuel said he did not think Hamels was trying to hit Harper.
"It looked to me like he was trying to come up and in on him and he hit him," Manuel said. "That's what I saw."
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Buy Phillies tickets Comments (61)
Ice water in his veins. Rube sign him now!— vishman14- Ice water in his veins. Rube sign him now!— vishman14
- Sign him— davi
OK, my opinion of Cole was always positive. But now, it's thru the roof. Ruben, please.— zubzub- All good til he gets his suspension from MLB— m82492
- How will you "Philthy Phans" who are reveling in Hamell's confession that he deliberately hit Harper going to feel when he misses at least one and maybe two starts while suspended by MLB? Remember, the Commissioner's Office suspended Ubaldo Jimenez five games for deliberately hitting Troy Tulowitzki -- in Spring Training. A pitch deliberately thrown at a batter during the regular season is very likely to get a longer punishment. — TheVirginian
- Hey Virgin, not proud of the pitch but your pitcher did retaliate when he hit Hamels in the third so give it a rest. Let's see how long you stay on the Nats bandwagon with Werth out.
- Always been a huge Cole fan but now its through the roof! What an awesome quote! In this day and age who ever admits to hitting someone? I love what Cole is doing to fire up his team and get the adrenaline flowing. This was leadership!— philsfan in the atx
- Amen!! — BuddyBall92
- Hamels isn't "Hollywood" anymore. He's Philly.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- not for long...he'll be in some other town in 2013 — djmarco
- ATX ... exactly. It wasn't that he hit him. It was the admission. And all the while I'm arguing that he wouldn't want to hit a fast LH hitter in order to face Werth. And then, WTF. I know it's wrong, but I love it. Exactly what this team needs. You said it, leadership.— zubzub
- The upstart Nats may have this, that, and the other...whoop dee doo...but one thing we still have that they can't touch is Cole Hamels. At least for now. Sign him, dammit!!!— dasher
- I don't want to start a negative rant, but does anyone know who was responsible for the second pick off move that Harper scored on ?? After the first one even the announcers pointed out that Harper had a huge lead because Polanco wasn't holding him on. Was this Hamels or Ruiz or the bench? Someone underestimated the kid. No?— zubzub
It is the more restrained quiet types that usually are the toughest guys, they just feel they don't have to show it or prove it to anyone. Hollywood Hammels ,a media creation. Cole Hammels,great pitcher that happens to come from California. Chase is quiet tuff too?— DUDESKINS- Old school baseball. Chase Utley can't be far behind. Did anyone ever check Cole's birth certificate? He may have been born in Philly and we have a Hamels Birther Conspiracy on our hands.— s
- Sad that the Phillies don't seem to value Cole. They've wasted so much $$$, and ignored their future which also includes their farm system .— djmarco
- Sign this dude immediately ! ! !— BuddyBall92
Pay him now. He is the ace of the staff.— shawnmac- Philly Hamels. Shoots from the hip with quotes. That's a Philly trait.— road515
Loved it! The way the ESPN sycophants kept droning on and on about Harper you would have thought he already had surpassed Pujols, Howard, Lou Brock, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays on the all time everything list. The kid's good, don't get me wrong, but sweet Lord, tone it down a notch. I muted the sound and watched the game in silence. It was wonderful!!— John621- Hamels forgot one thing about "old school" baseball. You never admit it. Even when everyone knows what you did, you never admit it. If he kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't get suspended. Now he is hurting the team. Love what he did, but never admit it.— lefty27
- sign him now during the suspension!!!
— Hammer859 - John621, you read my mind. I turned on the game last nite, and I thought I was watching the Bryce Harper Show. Right or wrong, I love Hamels' honesty. Problem is, too many uptight people in this town who will always criticize players for not saying the right things. Well, the truth is always saying the right thing. Good for Cole.— beegal99
- Come on Cole! I hope the fine is worth it. No prizes for honesty. You did pitch a great game. Nationals sprinted the first mile on this marathon and their star has a broken wrist. The Phillies are built for marathons.— aNutter1inDgutter
- As the Phillies continue their slide into mediocrity, Hamels is the only pitching bright spot. If Amaro doesn't sign him, he will lose the fan base. However, let us look at this correctly. The Phillies are currently a .500 ball club without Howard, Utley, Lee, a bullpen, poor offense, a legitimate leftfielder and an average Doc. Maybe, things are not as bad as they look.— sixtyplus
- @lefty27- you're missing the whole point here,buddy. Cole is obviously smart enough and experienced enough to know that you never admit it when you peg somebody. He admitted it because he's purposely making a statement about the direction of the game. He's willing to eat the fine and the suspension to make a point. That's balls and that's character. People whining about how it hurts the team are the types who are responsible for old school baseball, as well as old school hockey, dying off. Some things in life are more important than wins and losses and money. And that's the point Cole is making. 'No prizes for honesty'? Are you kidding me Nutter1inDgutter? I see your parents did a great job raising you (rolls his eyes). There's an old saying- 'the best things in life are not THINGS.'— JohnBoggs
- Phills will make every effort to sign Cole. With Lee, Halladay getting older it's urgent Phills sign Cole. Problem is it takes two. With Phills salaries being what they are Phills cant overdo offer such as 6 years. It's also too risky. Cole will get his money. How much will depend on perfomance in 2012. If Cole signs in next few weeks he avoids the possibility of injury or a less than stellar performance lowering his take. If he keeps pitching as he has he will be the target for many teams— Don w
- Hey Colbert, when you want to make a statement keep it to yourself and don't do it in a game your team really needs to win and it costs a run and the lead. It's all about Colbert. Two starters with issues and he gets suspended. What an ace (almost rolled my eyes out of their sockets). He's the coolest, at least in his mind. It's all about Colbert...again.— TomO
- Why don't you just admit it's personal, you can't stand Hamels and want him out of Philly? Eight strong innings pitched and ready to pitch the ninth. Sweep avoided. — escapedcamden4monterey
- As per old school baseball, pitchers are the enforcers and keepers of the true artistry of the game. Why don't you see anything similar to the NBA "in you face" punk attitude in baseball? Because the hitter has to face the opposing pitcher. Why don't you see an equivalent of the NFL premeditated end zone or sack dance in baseball ....the opposing pitcher. So position players be warned: don't dally at home plate watching the home run you just hit or take an extend and leisurely home run trot around the bases. Don't come in hard with spikes high at second base and not expect to pay a price. And most of all, when you are fortunate enough to make it to the show, come in with humility and respect, not as the "anointed one" with an attitude.— nc_bg
- Sometimes when I'm hungry, I make myself a gigantic sandwich and then sit on the couch and eat it.— stoptothinkisanidiot
- need to hit rizzo next— WFChamps
- Love it. Reminds me of Bob Gibson who, when asked why he hit a rookie phenom in a spring training game, said, "I heard he could hit."— ijj
- Hit every National player the next time. They are nobodies and the only real fans in the seats this weekend were Phillies fans. Just another over expansion example of a team named for a city that cannot and will not support it.— flyers Groupie
- I'm disgusted with you Philly fans. These comments show your true colors. Go root for the Broad Street Bullies; I'm done with you and all your teams.— mo123
- I'm disgusted with you Philly fans. These comments show your true colors. Go root for the Broad Street Bullies; I'm done with you and all your teams.— mo123
- Cole did a great job. He needs to be resigned yesterday. And he got his message across without any attempt to injure Harper, just as Zimmerman made the proper response. It should be a non-issue. If he had thrown a fastball at the head it would be completely different. This is like sliding into second to break up the double play, but not like Ty Cobb with spikes high, but just to try and change the game in your favor...— Brooklands
- Always been a huge Cole Hamels fan, but would someone please tell me how this is old school baseball? Did Harper do something to incite Hamels plunking him? Its not like "one flapped around the bases on a homer", or tossed his bat after a big hit. If the plunking was a "welcome to beg leagues", I find it kinda bush league for a professional like Hamels to take it upon himself. Reality check folks, last time I checked, some guys have been really hurt after being hot by a 94 mph fastball. Broken hands, wrists, etc...is not a way to welcome kids to the bigs. And what if Zimmerman's pitch did plunk Hamels in the knee cap and Cole had to spend a few months on the DL due to a dislocated knee cap? This has no place in baseball. But oh, When someone threw at Victorino last year, we all go angry cause it went toward his head? Now we have a sliding scale of what is acceptable for plunking players? REALLY?— drhoffman
- Yes, there is an acceptable way to hit a batter. Or at least there used to be. It's a big part of what made pitchers like Gibson and Drysdale great. Also a lot more brushback pitches back then. The league went all wuss at some point. Cole did it the right way. And he did it for the reason Gibson did: Yes, we know you're good kid but here's a reminder that you have to pay your dues. Let's give Harper credit too. He understood and he made his statement by stealing home. This all makes for great baseball in my opinion.
Gibson brushed back Reggie Jackson in an old-timers game after Jackson had gotten a HR off him in a previous old-timers game. Jackson didn't get a hit in that follow-up game. I love that story.
— s - Hamels' action and his explanation reminds me of the United States' recent foreign policy. Formerly dominant team loses out and goes in decline, acts childish, and then resorts to violence to try to set things right. "USA...USA...USA"!!— tyson987654321
- Um yes ... like most fans, my thoughts immediately turned to foreign policy when I saw that pitch. — s
- We have watched pitcher after pitcher hit our guys and we never retaliated. This was done because of the take back your park stuff and all the media hype over the Nats wining the division already. If anything it sparked the team and if he losses a start because of it so what. He had no intentions to harm the guy. This was a huge part of baseball for years and a good part that was taken away because of the huge salaries the guys are getting. Harper also stands over the plate like Chase does. He will be getting plunked a lot and some of them will be intentional. Some young fans have missed what was always a big part of the game and a normal occurance— pattymac3
- All you big supporters of Hamels make sure you're here the next time one of your beloved Phillies gets dropped for no reason, praising the opposing pitcher for being "old school". It's always excusable as long as Philly did it, but we'll see the hypocrites come out in force when Strasburg puts a 100 heater at Pence's head next series to "make a statement". You Philly fans are so predictable that it's ridiculous.— DreamOn
- You're wrong. At the head is NOT old school. You can hit a batter to send a message and do no harm. There's a huge difference between the two. — s
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You're wrong. At the head is NOT old school. You can hit a batter to send a message and do no harm. There's a huge difference between the two. — s
You might want to go back and watch some film, friend- Drysdale, Gibson and the like would put a fastball at your chin and not think twice about it. Sal "The Barber" Maglie wasn't called "the Barber" because he was aiming for a batter's ribs.
My point is that as usual with Philadelphia, what happened is great because their guy did it, but when the reverse happens, the crying and moaning and whining will be off the charts. Very similar to all the comments about what a group of cheap-shot punks the Penquins were, but not a peep about Giroux's cheap shot last night. No city talks more and produces less than this one does.— DreamOn - I know those guys hit some batters in the head. The unwritten rule is not to go for the head. Gibson claims he never aimed for the head on purpose. Not sure I believe that.
If a Nats pitcher retaliated and made a head shot, complaining about that would be legitimate in my opinion because the two are not the same.
That was my point. The other pitcher went for Cole in a similar manner so it all played out as it should have. And Harper made his statement by stealing home. So, at this point, in the old school world of baseball where people follow the unwritten rules, all is even.
As I noted in another forum, Cole may have done this as much as a wake-up for his teammates as he did to make any statement about Harper or the Nats. I like that he did it.
— s - It was stupid to confess. We got the point right away. The last thing this team needs is for him to miss a game.— EL Zorro
- Take the suspension, bring back Cliff Lee to take his start, Hamels doesn't miss anything.— alihajishank
- Hey Virginian, put Northern Viginian because all of you all from there are soft as room temperature butter. Yeah I live in the DC area and you all are soft. We go hard in Philly playa, so if you can't stand it, stay off our site! Go Hamels! Go Phillies!— phillynupe4
- I lived in Arlington, VA for almost eight years. You're right, it's VERY soft there. Almost mushy in fact. Especially when you're sitting in traffic on a hot afternoon on the Beltway...
— Sam Crow - wait, we love this? Cole has become to Washington exactly what Sidney Crosby is to Philly. We despise Sid because he's a fake tough guy, and couldnt get enough of his wimpy "I don't like him. I don't like any of them" quote. I guess Washington will be handing out "we don't like you either t-shirts the next time the Phils come to town.— jim715
Bring the noise, Cole!— verve- Let's see if I got this right: Cole is honest and shows integrity and because of that will probably get a suspension. Other players are dishonest and deny blatant facts and nothing happens. Just a little microcosm of our society where responsibility and integrity are punished, but lies, theft and misrepresentation are either ignored or held up as positive virtues.
D@mn, I like Cole more and more.— kecward78 - I've always liked Cole Hammels - he reminds me of a young Stephen Malkmus with that lanky frame an Cali vibe, but this is just an awful way for a human to behave. What is he thinking?— brinogordon
- In all candor, why be candid ?— NewMick314
- since when is it custom to plunk someone just for getting there. i thought harper did something arrogant or something and Hamels was responding. cole's gonna get suspended. old school
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