Giants outfielder Austin Slater hit a decisive two-run homer in an 8-3 win over the A’s Wednesday night, but that might have only been the second-most memorable moment in his two at-bats off the bench.
After the game, Slater had a nuanced reaction. He acknowledged that Felipe had “no intent” but was aggravated that Felipe had such little control over his fastball that he could hit him in the head at 90-plus mph. It’s been a common complaint from hitters as hit-by-pitches have risen in a high-velocity era.
“No, there was no intent,” Slater said. “But he clearly had no idea where his fastball was going. … I think it’s underplayed how dangerous that is. And in my opinion, more guys should react like that so pitchers understand, ‘Hey you can really, really hurt someone, potentially kill someone in those situations.’ … I know it’s not intentional. But at the same time, he has no idea where the baseball’s going.”
Wild fastballs have been hazardous to the Giants’ health this year. Mitch Haniger and Thairo Estrada are out for big chunks of the summer after getting plunked. After Estrada went down, Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow had a much more colorful solution for dealing with the problem of pitchers feeling like there’s no cost to endangering batters. In a rant earlier this month, Krukow suggested bigger fines for HBPs, weaker penalties for retaliation or giving hit batters two bases. Some light shunning from guys like Slater is probably more realistic.