Andrew McCutchen cites a deep-cut unwritten rule after HBP emptied benches

The benches were cleared for Saturday’s Brewers-Cubs afternoon game at Wrigley Field after Chicago knocked Andrew McCutchen to the ground. Did he overreact?

Cutch is a veteran of the game. Whether it’s Pittsburgh, New York, Philly, or now Milwaukee, he’s been there and done it. As for the unwritten rules, he’s memorized the book.

However, the Brewers slugger may have been slightly wrong in his perception of how things played out during Saturday’s game against the Cubs. McCutchen was hit with a pitch by Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson. After the act, he was visibly upset and pointed to the hill. Then the benches were cleared.

Luckily no punches were thrown. After the game, McCutchen’s explanation for the drama didn’t help.

“Everyone and their mom knew I was going to get hit when I got hit,” McCutchen said. But the rest of his side of the story is a little ridiculous.

Is there a right way to intentionally punish a player?

Were Brewers, Andrew McCutchen or the Cubs right?

When a game as playful as baseball leads to physical violence, both teams are wrong. But that feels like there’s a little more on the Brewers, and here’s why.

The Cubs have had enough of Milwaukee for a while. Willson Contreras, a clubhouse manager, was hit 14 times by Brewer’s pitching in a short span of time. He was knocked down again on opening day, showing his displeasure.

Now it’s easy to see why the Brewers would expect some sort of retaliation. But why McCutchen?

Nothing against Cutch, a former MVP himself, but he’s not the face of this Brewers team. Comparing him to Contreras is like comparing apples and pears. If the Cubs wanted to go after a player of Contreras’ caliber, it wouldn’t be him. Second, why the eighth inning when the game is almost over?

This situation was misinterpreted by one side. And as is often the case with misunderstandings, this led to a confrontation.