The Memorial Day brawl that broke out between the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park is old news at this point. But one of the players involved still is feeling the effects.
You might remember Giants outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse sustained a concussion after bumping heads with teammate Jeff Samardzija during the fight, which began when Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper charged the mound upon being hit by a pitch from Hunter Strickland.
Morse hit the concussion disabled list the next day, but nearly two months later, the 35-year-old still isn’t any closer to a return.
Morse told the San Francisco Chronicle that he doesn’t remember much about the fight and that he still experiences symptoms such as dizziness and headaches. He was taking himself to Stanford every day for testing, but as of Friday, Giants manager Bruce Bochy had a not-so-great update.
Bochy said Morse is back at home in Florida, still recovering. At some point, "he'll have to make a decision."
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) July 21, 2017
It’s unfortunate that Morse’s career could be over because of something completely avoidable. It also put into perspective why catcher Buster Posey, who was ripped on the internet for not joining the fray, didn’t want to put himself in harm’s way with his history of concussions.
So even though many fans find baseball brawls fun to watch, Morse’s situation brings into question whether the potential cost to players is really worth the entertainment of a fight.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
