Whit Merrifield Has a Point

Former Phillies utility man Whit Merrifield exited Wednesday's Atlanta Braves win over the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the seventh inning after getting hit in the back of the head on a pitch from reliever Jeff Criswell: 

Whit Merrifield was removed from tonight's game after being hit by this pitch in the back of the head. pic.twitter.com/bEmv1ngplD

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) September 4, 2024

Fortunately, Merrifield was alright, but he was understandably disgusted with Criswell after the errant pitch hit him in the head. 

After the game, Merrifield delivered an impassioned speech on the need for repercussions for pitchers who, even if not purposely, lose control of pitches in dangerous manners like this. 

"It's ridiculous," Merrifield said bluntly. "Where the game is at right now now is just ridiculous. We lost [Austin] Riley ... we almost lost Mike [Harris] ... we almost lost [Travis] d'Arnaud ... in a span of two or three weeks. The way pitchers are throwing now, there's no remorse or regard for throwing up and in. These guys are throwing as hard as they can, and they don't care where the ball goes. And it's just ... it's bullshit. 

"You can't hit a guy anymore back," Merrifield continued. "There's no fear that 'Oh if I hit this guy, our guy is gonna get hit.' That's not in the game anymore. Pitchers don't have to hit anymore, so they don't have to stand in the box. And the teams are bringing pitchers up that don't know where the ball is going. They throw 100 mph, so it's like 'Alright, we'll see if he can get the guys out. Just set up down the middle and throw it as hard as you can.'" 

Riley — who the Braves are likely without the rest of the year unless they reach the NLCS or World Series — fractured his right hand. That's also been an increasing problem in the sport in recent years, with Bryce Harper and Jose Altuve among those who have also missed significant time with hand injuries. It does come back to the same issue of having pitchers with live arms and little to no control rearing back, hoping for the best an instead hitting the opposing batter. 

The more pressing issue, though, is guys getting hit in the head. Phillies reliever Michael Mercado — since optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley — hit Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman in the head last week. Harper was hit in the face by then-St. Louis Cardinals reliever Génesis Cabrera during the 2021 season. Merrifield would go on to correctly point out that the more players are hit in or around the head, you run the risk of a catastrophic outcome. 

"It's driving me nuts, and I hate where the game is at right now with that," Merrifield said. "And I'm on the rules committee and we've got a call tomorrow, and it's gonna be a long conversation on what we gotta do to make pitchers think about ... I just took 95 right off the head. I'm very lucky that it got me in a good spot. I gotta go get a Cat scan. I'm out of the game ... he gets to stay in to pitch ... I'm probably not going to be able to play tomorrow ... no repercussion on his part. 

"Without being overdramatic, that was my life on the line there," Merrifield added. "So, I'm sick of it. It's happening way too much. I watched Taylor Ward get hit in the face last year and have to get reconstructive surgery. Justin Turner got hit in the face last year. It's happening at an exponential rate. Guys are getting hit in the hand. Mookie Betts broke a bone in his hand this year. It's just ridiculous. And it has to be adjusted, it has to be fixed. Or, God forbid, something terrible is going to happen. If this hits me in a different spot ... it's just pathetic, frankly pathetic some of the pitchers that we're running out there don't know where the ball is going at the Major League level." 

So what should be done? 

Hitting players on the other team in retaliation doesn't happen much anymore, nor does it solve the problem. You also run the risk of one of those pitches getting away, depending upon who is on the mound. 

But if you hit a player in or around the head, that should be it for you that night. There should probably even be some sort of suspension, particularly if the player you hit ends up missing time because of it. It's one of those things where your intention almost doesn't matter — if you hit someone in the head at 100 mph, you are putting their life at risk. Merrifield is right, that can't be accepted as just part of the game.