“You never want to get suspended or anything like, but sometimes you just got to go and get them and can’t hesitate,” Harper said. “You either go to first base or you go after him and I decided to go after him.”

No one got in Harper’s way as he rushed the mound. Giants catcher Buster Posey stuck near the plate when Harper bolted, and stayed clear of the fracas as things escalated.

“Strick and him are the only ones that can answer why” the fight happened, Posey said.

“There were some big guys tumbling around out there,” he added. “So it was a little dangerous to get in there sometimes.”

Michael Morse and Jeff Samardzija of the Giants collided hard as they tried to get between the two fighters. Three Giants players forcefully dragged Strickland from the middle of the pack all the way into the dugout, while a teammate held back Harper.

“He decided to come out, that’s what he decided to do,” Strickland said. “It’s go time. You protect yourself and stand your own ground. And I’ll take what consequences come with it. I was pretty fired up, to be honest. It’s part of the game.”