Rookie Hit By Phillies' Hamels Gets Last Laugh

Last night, Philadelphia Phillies pitching ace Cole Hamels intentionally beaned Washington Nationals rookie Bryce Harper in the small of the back with the first pitch he threw to the 19 year-old.

Amazingly, after the game Hamels admitted to targeting the 93-mph fastball directly at Harper as a "welcome to the big leagues."

Harper suffered no serious injury and took first base immediately upon being hit by the pitch. Later in the inning after advancing to third base, Harper returned the favor and played a joke of his own on Hamels, by successfully stealing home and scoring a run after Hamels attempted to check a runner at first base.

After Harper paid Hamels back his way, Major League Baseball still had to weigh in on the incident. In response to Hamels' post-game admission, MLB issued a 5-game suspension to the pitcher for intentionally throwing at the rookie.

You seldom see a base runner steal home plate in the majors - this video from ESPN breaks down the play perfectly.