It may not have been intentional head-hunting, but Chicago’s pitchers were endangering D-backs hitters by throwing near their heads and struggling with pitch control.
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez has a lengthy yet powerful swing that often appears effortless but produces significant hard contact, contributing to his 277 career home runs. This was evident in the second inning on Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs when he faced left-hander Justin Steele.
Suarez took advantage of a fastball over the plate, crushing it 430 feet into the left-field bleachers. The Cubs clearly wanted to prevent that from happening again, adjusting their approach by pitching him up and in to keep him from extending on pitches.
However, their lack of control created a dangerous situation for Suarez. In the sixth inning, reliever Nate Pearson hit him on the upper shoulder. Then, in the eighth inning, Porter Hodge nearly hit him twice in the face, forcing Suarez to spin away to avoid a potentially serious injury.
Pearson’s pitch came with the Cubs leading 8-3 and first base occupied by Gabriel Moreno, who had drawn a walk. Later, when Hodge threw two high-and-tight pitches in the eighth, the score was 8-5 with Moreno again on base, this time after a single. Hodge also unleashed a wild pitch during the at-bat, advancing Moreno to second.
Suarez’s expression after the second near-miss spoke volumes—he had had enough. Despite the danger, the approach proved effective, as he eventually struck out chasing sweepers away.
Using inside pitches to disrupt a hitter’s timing before attacking the outside corner is a well-established strategy. There was little reason to believe the Cubs were deliberately targeting Suarez. However, repeatedly missing up near a batter’s head crosses a line. In baseball, claiming a lack of intent doesn’t always absolve a pitcher.
Traditionally, teams policed these situations themselves, responding with inside pitches of their own, often leading to benches-clearing brawls. Major League Baseball has since cracked down on retaliation, implementing a warning system to prevent escalation. Umpires now have the authority to issue warnings or eject pitchers if they believe a throw was intentional.
That still leaves a gray area when pitchers struggle with control. After the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, who has consistently stated he doesn’t support intentionally hitting batters, was asked how a manager can respond in such situations. He emphasized that while he didn’t believe there was intent behind the pitches, it’s the pitcher’s responsibility to keep the ball down.
With three games remaining in the series, tensions could rise. Cubs manager Craig Counsell is unlikely to instruct his pitchers to abandon the inside approach. However, with pitchers still refining their command early in the season, further incidents could push the D-backs to respond in kind—at which point, anything could happen.