Unless you've been out of town the last week or so, you've seen the fight that happened in our series against Boston. It was all over television, in the newspapers and on the blogs the next day.

If for some reason you missed it, here's what happened: Rick Porcello(notes) hit Kevin Youkilis(notes) with a pitch during the second game of our series in Boston. Youkilis charged the mound and the benches cleared. Both Youkilis and Porcello were ejected from the game and both were later suspended. 

Fans and friends have been asking me what happened, and what caused it. Well, in the first game of our series, both Miguel Cabrera(notes) and Youkilis were hit by pitches. In the second game, Miguel was hit again and Youkilis was hit for a second time. Eventually, after being hit over and over, someone will react, and sure enough Youkilis did. Remember that the ball hurts and can do damage, no matter where it hits. Miguel ended up leaving the game because he was hit on the hand, and depending where you get hit by the ball, the injury can be worse.

I understand pitchers need to throw inside to be able to control the hitter and eventually pitch away later in the at-bat. Sometimes the ball is going to go a little too far inside and guys will be hit. It's up to the team to decide if the pitch was on purpose or on accident. That's where it gets a little difficult to try and figure out.

As I was standing in the on-deck circle for an at-bat later in the game, Fenway fans kept asking me if this situation was over or if Boston would throw at one of us again. I didn't think the Red Sox would, and if one of us would have been hit, I don't think it would have been on purpose. As the series continued, a few more guys were hit by pitches, but I'm sure both teams knew that they weren't on purpose.

When these bench-clearing brawls happen, people always ask me why I'm not throwing any punches. Most of the time, by the time I get to all the action, the fight is almost done with. In Boston, I was coming from center field and was about 200-300 feet away from the fight. By the time I get there, it's time to pull people off the pile and restore order.

If I'm on the bench when it happens, it's still a very similar situation, where I'm trying to make sure none of my teammates get hit.

When all is said and done, as much excitement as it provides for the viewing audience, the results aren't the best. Players are suspended, some are possibly hurt, and from a batter's standpoint, it stays in your mind that you might get hit your next at-bat.

Maybe this is another unwritten rule we should look at.

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Curtis Granderson plays center field for the Detroit Tigers and his blog will appear regularly on Yahoo! Sports' Big League Stew during the 2009 season. Make sure to check out and support his Grand Kids Foundation. 

Previous Posts:  Tough stretch run (Aug. 4) Meeting the President (July 16) My first All-Star Game (July 13) • The 16-inning game (July 8) • Q&A with the fans, Pt. 1 (June 29) The importance of education (June 19) • Breaking up a no-no (June 8) • Tip of the cap to Luke Scott(notes) (June 1) • Hanging with Hammer (May 22) • Sweet home, Chicago (May 14) • The catch in Cleveland (May 11) • Impressive ballpark amenities (April 29) • Handling A 10-Game Road Trip • (April 22) Cautious About Identity Theft (April 14) • Season's High Hopes (April 6)

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