Red Sox Reliever Matt Barnes Tried To Concuss Manny Machado After His Slide Injured Dustin Pedroia A Day Earlier

​Saturday:

This is why Machado was thrown at today pic.twitter.com/BusnyCauji

— Andrew Apache (@AndrewApache_) April 23, 2017

Sunday:

Matt Barnes gets ejected for hitting a bat? Pitches at Manny Machado's head. □□□ pic.twitter.com/7eBwWbFKNl

— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) April 23, 2017

What a fascinating exchange between Dustin Pedroia and Manny Machado. pic.twitter.com/37thWTjziK

— Mike Cole (@MikeColeNESN) April 23, 2017

I'm not at liberty to dissect the game within America's game that is - ironically enough - fighting an uphill battle to hold the interest of Americans. It would be disingenuous of me to try to shine a black light on the invisible ink with which the unwritten MLB rule book was ghostwritten. That said, I think someone might want to put a pen to some clear cut guidelines when it comes to gamesmanship, because there's an obvious disconnect when the person for which vengeance is being exacted vehemently disagrees with the extent of the vengeance. This situation reminds of the bar scene in 'The Breakup' when Vince Vaughn's character is trying to convince his goon of a brother not to have his ex-girlfriend murdered on his behalf. I don't know the right response to a guy getting cleated in the back of the leg, but you might want to check with the guy who was cleated before you decide that an ankle for an eye is an even trade. 

Personally, I tend to think Manny Machado's slide was unintentional considering he immediately took his foot off the bag to hold up the guy he just spiked. I wasn't in the head of the Dominican infielder who - from my limited knowledge of his career - rarely gets the benefit of the doubt, but if that was on purpose then his flipping of the switch from malicious to compassionate sure was impressive. Still, I can see why plunking him was deemed a necessary reaction to one of their longest tenured players getting hurt from an undeniably dangerous play. I just think Matt Barnes probably should've checked the non-existent chart that would surely show that attempted decapitation should be saved for situations that are a little less inconspicuous. Especially when the two players that had their safety compromised were on the same, slightly less breakneck page.

​P.S. That pitch "got away" from Matt Barnes the same way my alcohol consumption "gets away" from me during last call. Dude knew EXACTLY what he was doing...

Barnes also said the pitch got away from him. Claimed no intent.

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) April 23, 2017