Three's a trend: Another pregame standoff, this time between the Astros and Tigers

It all began innocently enough during a Thursday afternoon game between the Rockies and Phillies: Colorado reliever Boone Logan and Philly starter Sean O'Sullivan didn't follow their teams back to the dugout after the national anthem, engaging in a war of attrition/facial hair to see who could be the last man standing. (Answer: neither of them.) 

The Phillies soon returned home, but with a newfound taste for standing still for extended periods of time. The opponent Friday was the Nationals, as Phillies starter Aaron Harang stared down Washington reliever Aaron Barrett. But what had been an easygoing affair just one day prior had now subtly escalated -- for now, each man had brought armor to the battle: 

These tales of valor have whispered across the wind, stirring men to action at ballparks near and far. In Detroit on Sunday, the Tigers and Astros took to the field of pregame battle -- though at a scale far greater than this world has ever seen:

The Tigers, led by the hero they call The Bearded One, would eventually emerge victorious, after the umpires felt compelled to remind both armies that an actual baseball game would have to be played. The Astros trudged back to their dugout, as their adversaries celebrated with high fives and songs of battles past, but this is surely not the last we've seen of these skirmishes.

Since they seem to be escalating on a daily basis, what could the future hold? Perhaps a steed to ride into battle, or the futuristic, Tron-esque headwear the Cubs seem to have developed? Only time will tell.