Nyjer Morgan Brawl with the Florida Marlins

Nyjer Morgan is making a splash with the Washington Nationals. On Tuesday night he barreled over the Brett Hayes of the Florida Marlins while trying to score in the 10th inning. On that play, Nyjer Morgan ran into Hayes, causing the catcher to injure his shoulder.

Nyjer Morgan admitted that he expected some form of retribution for his actions on the following night. That retribution came in the 4rth inning when Marlins pitcher, Chris Volstad hit Morgan in his mid section. The Marlins expected the incident to be closed, but were clearly upset when Morgan stole two bases while being down 10 runs in then game. Nyjer Morgan also baited the crowd. To add injury to insult, another Marlins was injured when Morgan scored on a sacrifice fly after taking third base. Donnie Murphy suffered a dislocated wrist on the play.

When Nyjer Morgan came up to bat in the sixth, Volstad attempted to hit him again, but threw behind Morgan and that is when the benches cleared. From MLB.com video, it appeared that Nyjer Morgan was able to get a punch in but only grazed Chris Volstad. Morgan was then knocked down by first baseman and smothered by Marlins players. After the brawl, Morgan was seen with his hands raised in air in triumph, where he continued to bait the crowd.

Nyjer Morgan is hitting .257 this year, which is down a few points from where he has hovered at or near the .300 mark his previous season. Nyjer Morgan has been in a slump over the past 10 games. He has been 6 for 31, batting only .194. Nyjer Morgan was born in San Francisco and played baseball at Walla Walla Community College in Washington State.

Nyjer Morgan has shown himself to be an extremely competitive ballplayer, and play the game with raw emotion. Morgan came into the league playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and became a fan favorite due to is hard playing style. He has had his share of collisions at the plate over the years. He is a fast runner. So far in the 2010 season, Morgan has stolen 33 bases. He stole 42 bases last season. Nyjer Morgan displays impressive defensive skills in the outfield. The Nationals have been languishing at the bottom of the National League East conference the past couple of years. Their star pitcher, Steve Strasburg was lost earlier this season, having to undergo Tommy John Surgery.