Dillon Atkinson: Beanball isn't baseball

In baseball, there are too many incidents that result in a pitcher intentionally throwing a 90-plus mph fastball into the back - and sometimes, even the head - of defenseless hitters. Another case of this happened in Tuesday night's Royals-Orioles game.

In case you missed it, the Orioles beat up on Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura with the bats early in the game. Manny Machado stepped to the plate for the second time in the game in the second inning and immediately got brushed back with a fastball. On the very next pitch, Machado got brushed back again, and the Orioles shortstop glared out to the mound. The pitches came with the catcher setting up outside and low, so high and tight looked suspicious, but not suspicious enough to clearly identify intent. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Machado flew out to left field, then had some choice words for Ventura before heading back to the dugout. But it didn't end there. Machado stepped to the plate in the fifth inning, Ventura hurled a 99 mph fastball into the Orioles shortstop's back on the first pitch, Machado charged the mound and the fight was on from there. There aren't any questions about intent this time around.

This wasn't the first time - and won't be the last - we've seen batters get intentionally thrown at by pitchers. It just happened a couple weeks ago, when the Mets' Noah Syndergaard threw behind the Dodgers' Chase Utley. It's a shame, but it happens. But then again, no. It shouldn't happen. Ventura alone has a track record with this, but this happens around Major League Baseball way too often.

What are the reasons for beanballs? Usually anything that makes the pitcher offended or annoyed. Bat flips and showboating after home runs lead to them. An offense knocking a pitcher around will lead to them. Sometimes beanballs are in retaliation to other beanballs. Almost every scenario you come up with to justify intentionally throwing a ball at a batter is a scenario that I don't consider justifiable.

As Machado stated Tuesday night after the game, 99 mph is no joke. That can seriously threaten another player's career. Even a soft-tossing 90 mph pitch can and will most likely hurt. Many people will say - not in Machado's incident, but in most incidents - that hitting a player in the back is fine, just as long as the pitcher doesn't head hunt. Have you ever seen a pitcher who hits his spot every pitch? If you have, that's very rare and you're probably looking at Clayton Kershaw. A pitcher may have the intent to hit a batter in the back to send a message, but it takes the slightest mistake in release point to let that pitch fly from the back to the head.

There's no place in the game of baseball for intentionally throwing a ball at a defenseless batter. You didn't like a player's pimp job on a home run? Make a better pitch. I hate to say it, but if a pitcher is really that offended by an opposing player doing something, I'd rather the pitcher just confront the player, drop his glove and start fighting. At that point, you're at least giving the other man his fair chance and he isn't waiting in a small box for you to drill him with 95-plus mph. I'm not saying dropping gloves and fighting is a good option, but it's a better alternative to beanballing. Retaliation shouldn't be a thing, either. If a pitcher for the Yankees drills a position player for the Red Sox, why should a Yankees position player - who had no involvement in the hit-by-pitch - get thrown at in his next at-bat? It doesn't really make much sense. Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones made a great point Tuesday night. Ventura is throwing these pitches knowing that he doesn't have to bat in the game. I'm sure many wonder if he would keep the same antics up if he pitched in the National League, where he would have to bat against the opposing pitcher.

The Royals and Orioles conclude their three-game series in Baltimore on Wednesday night. I will not only be shocked, but also disappointed if Chris Tillman or any O's relievers feel the responsibility to intentionally throw at any Royals players. No matter who is batting in Kansas City's lineup, none of them should have to suffer the consequences of Ventura's actions. No matter what team and what scenario, beanballing should have no place in the game of baseball. In most cases, it's just a pitcher looking to hurt other players because he got offended over something non-physical.

Dillon Atkinson blogs about the Orioles for Orioles Uncensored. Follow him on Twitter: @DAtkinsonOU. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.