In 2020, Bryce Harper spoke freely about the infamous 2017 brawl he had with Hunter Strickland.
During a high-intensity match between the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals, Strickland threw the ball at Bryce Harper. This was in revenge for when Harper hit consecutive home runs in a previous game. The ball ended up hitting the right fielder right in the hip. Harper lost his cool and it escalated quickly.
Harper marched up to Strickland and it became an all-out brawl, with many joining in. The brawl is said to have ended Mike Moses's career, giving him an injury that he never quite recovered from.
Bryce Harper appreciates the fact that Strickland didn't use any underhanded techniques with him. Harper revealed that after the fight, he felt that all ill-will had ended then, and there was no hard feeling left on his side.
Speaking to Barstool Sports, Harper said:
"For him to come back, I respect him for the pure fact of him hitting me in the butt. Because he could’ve came up and in and hit me in the head or anything like that. He just wanted to fight… I enjoy that and after that it was squashed, it was done.”
Buster Posey didn't react to Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland's brawl
The infamous brawl ended with a career-ending injury and suspension for the players involved. However, there was one player who didn't even leave his place during the brawl.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Buster Posey revealed why he didn't step in:
“Well, I mean, after it happened, I kind of saw Harper's point."
He continued by saying that he saw people like Mike Morse tumbling down, so he didn't want to get involved. If people like Morse were going down, getting involved could be dangerous:
"Next thing you know he’s going out after him. There are some big guys tumbling around. Mike Morse is about as big as they come and he was getting knocked around like a pinball... Be a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.”
Buster Posey is a former Giants catcher and is now working as a member of the board of directors of the team.