Washington Nationals’ skipper Dusty Baker & San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy moving up on all-time wins list...

Dusty Baker dismissed the idea that San Francisco Giants’ skipper Bruce Bochy had a role in calling for the pitch that started the Hunter Strickland vs Bryce Harper brawl back in late May in AT&T Park. Baker told reporters immediately after that game he thought Strickland was acting on his own.

“I know Bruce Bochy didn’t give the command or order,” Baker said, as quoted by MASN’s Mark Zuckerman at the time.

“In my mind, it was more of a selfish, not a team act, but a selfish act on his part.

“It’s more selfish, because he’ll probably never come to the plate for there to be any retaliation. So the best thing for us to do is beat up on them and win tonight.”

Baker’s Nationals retaliated by taking all three games of that series with Bochy’s Giants.

The headline-making, mound-charging, errant-helmet-throwing brawl between Harper and Strickland, who apparently held a grudge after Harper took him deep twice in the NLDS in 2014 and jawed back and forth with the pitcher, came up again in advance of San Francisco’s three-game visit to D.C. this weekend, but everyone involved rejected the idea that there would be any additional drama.

“It’s behind us,” Bochy told reporters, including Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News, on Friday night, before the series opener was postponed by inclement weather.

“I had forgotten about it till you brought it up,” Bochy added.

“I didn’t think about it, really,” Baker said, as quoted by Washington Post writer Jorge Castillo, explaining that it was all on Strickland, really, anyway, while once again noting just how long the reliever held a grudge.

“That’s a long time, but it was a long time between the playoffs and the last time. So who knows; it’s kind of on him. Bryce, he’s not pitching, so there’s nothing that we can do to him because he probably won’t get an at-bat. So what are you going to do? You just play.”

“I think everybody’s passed it,” Strickland said, as reported by San Francisco Chronicle writer John Shea. “We did the consequences and moved forward. Both teams are here to play ball.”

Baker led San Francisco to an 840-715 record when he managed the Giants from 1993-2002, then he moved on to manage the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and for the last year-and-a-half the Nationals.

He starts this weekend’s three-game set in D.C. one win behind Bochy and Lou Piniella with 1,834 wins as a major league manager, good for 15th all-time, and second among all active managers.

With a win, Baker could move into a tie for 14th on the list. He and Bochy will get to go head-to-head for three games as they both try to get closer to Hall of Fame skipper Bill McKechnie and No. 13 on the all-time manager wins list (1,896).

Andrew Stevenson makes game-ending catch vs Marlins:

Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports

LINK: 38 feet; 3.2 seconds; 55% catch probability... Stevenson’s got it

“We enjoy our battles and being competitive against each other,” Bochy said, as quoted by AP writer Stephen Whyno. “I have tremendous respect for Dusty.”

“We know each other real well because we were in the same division for a number of years when he was in San Diego and I was in San Francisco,” Baker said.

“And so I’m real close to Bruce. When I lost my job in Cincinnati he was the first one to call — wanted to know what happened because we had just gone to the playoffs.”

Baker too said he had tremendous respect for his fellow manager.

“I don’t think he has any fear. And he knows what he’s doing. He’s got some brains in that big old head he got. He’s a smart man.”