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Manny Machado getting applauded after brawl with Yordano Ventura

Kyle Ringo

Criticism and congratulations are usually spread equally among the combatants following baseball brawls, but after Baltimore Orioles slugger Manny Machado and Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura threw punches Tuesday night, Machado seems to have merged as the sympathetic figure.

Ventura hit Machado in the fifth inning with a 99 mph fastball in the side. Machado charged the mound and caught Ventura with a glancing punch just before they went to the ground and were swallowed up by teammates trying to break up the fight.

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The Washington Post went looking for reaction around baseball on Wednesday and found plenty of support for Machado taking action to defend himself against a pitcher who has developed a reputation as volatile for throwing at batters.

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who often gets hit with pitches, said they approved of Machado charging the mound after being hit.

"You go to a hockey game, and everyone who goes to a hockey game that’s not a big hockey fan is saying, ‘Oh, I hope I see a fight,’” Rizzo told the newspaper. “I’m not saying you want that with baseball. But the two fights this year have been pretty healthy, in my opinion."

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The other fight Rizzo referred to occurred last month between Texas second baseman Rougned Odor and Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista, who slid hard into second base in what looked like an attempt to take out Odor. Both players were suspended for the fight and the same is expected for Machado and Odor soon.
Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said he had no problem with how Machado handled the situation even though replays showed that Machado might have instigated the fight as much as Ventura when he became angry at Ventura for inside pitches earlier in the game.

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, a well-known Baltimore restaurant, has offered Machado free crab cakes for life for going after Ventura. It's something the restaurant has done before.  and Machado's teammate Adam Jones said he planned to pay for any fine that might be headed Machado's way.

Maddon said he “loved it” when he saw Machado go after Ventura. He went on to say he believes players generally police this part of the game well.

While Ventura seems to be getting much of the blame here, largely because of a history of throwing at batters, we shouldn’t forget Machado has a history of losing his temper as well, including throwing his bat down the third-base line two years ago after several inside pitches in a game against Oakland.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo