Batter Charges Pitcher After Inside Pitch—to Give Him a Hug

Aren Kuri and Yutaro Sugimoto started the All-Star Game on a high note.

The easiest way to spark a baseball brawl is for a pitcher to throw a fastball high and tight on a batter. Whether or not the batter is actually hit by the pitch, it’s only natural for him to be angry—sometimes angry enough to drop his bat and charge the mound. 

Game 2 of Japan’s NPB All-Star Series on Thursday began with a variation on that script. The very first pitch that Hiroshima Carp pitcher Aren Kuri threw to Orix Buffaloes outfielder Yutaro Sugimoto whizzed right past his head. Sugimoto immediately dropped his bat and sprinted toward Kuri. 

But then Sugimoto stretched out his arms and gave Kuri a big hug. 

【#テレビ朝日系列で生中継中！】
今宵は憧れましょう✨#マイナビオールスターゲーム で憧れの選手にメッセージを！

１回表⚾️#九里亜蓮 （#広島東洋カープ） #杉本裕太郎 （#オリックス・バファローズ）
初球からまさかの・・・#carp #ORIX #Bs2023 pic.twitter.com/BRaD5k8e8K

— テレビ朝日野球《公式》 (@tvasahibaseball) July 20, 2023

It sure looks like Kuri thought Sugimoto was legitimately angry. The way he rips off his glove and aggressively throws out his arms suggests he was prepared for the first. The last camera angle also shows Kuri’s face just before Sugimoto went in for the hug, and he’s not exactly smiling. 

There have been plenty of unsavory batter-pitcher interactions over the course of baseball’s long history—Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura; Roger Clemens throwing a broken bat at Mike Piazza; Jose Offerman charging the mound with his bat and attacking a player—but not enough spontaneous displays of camaraderie like Sugimoto’s.