SAN FRANCISCO -- Benches cleared and a massive on-field brawl ensued after Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper was plunked and charged the mound in the 8th inning of Monday's game against the San Francisco Giants.
It all started when Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland hit Harper in the hip in the top of the 8th inning. Harper wasted no time in charging the mound. Here's the video:
Hunter Strickland drilled Bryce Harper and punched him in the face when Harper charger him pic.twitter.com/7QNliRl55K
— That Dude (@cjzer0) May 29, 2017
Things escalated quickly from there. Harper threw his helmet, and the two started trading blows. Within seconds, both teams' benches had cleared and a massive brawl had formed around the pitching mound.
As ESPN MLB reporter Buster Olney noted on Twitter, this isn't the first time Harper and Strickland have beefed:
Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland have a lot of history before this brawl today. No. 1 https://t.co/aZgfr5uxAe No.2 https://t.co/lXdktfsLqM
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 29, 2017
The Nationals lead the Giants 3-0 as of the bottom of the 8th inning. There will likely be suspensions coming for both Harper and Strickland.
