SAN FRANCISCO – Dusty Baker knows a thing or two about grudges.
Baker has gone on record saying he doesn’t like to lose to teams he’s managed before, which of course includes the San Francisco Giants, the place Baker started his managerial career.
In Monday’s game between the Giants and Baker’s Washington Nationals, the two teams got into a benches-clearing brawl after Hunter Strickland hit Bryce Harper in the hip with a fastball.
The two don’t have much history, but the last time Strickland pitched against Harper was during the teams’ 2014 playoff series. In that series, Harper took Strickland long for two home runs.
Following the game, a reporter asked Baker if he was thinking of the two players’ history before the pitch.
“No. It didn’t cross my mind. I wasn’t (in Washington),” said Baker. “I watched it on TV. It was a long time ago. But like I said, in baseball you can carry grudges for a long time. I even have a couple that I’ve been carrying for years.”
For more from Monday’s game:
