Major League Baseball suspended San Diego Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez three games and fined him for hitting Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani with a pitch Thursday night.
Suarez was also fined an undisclosed sum, according to an official MLB press release. However, the Padres pitcher has appealed the suspension. Suarez will miss games after the appeals process ends if the suspension is upheld.
“I was never trying to get anyone into trouble or hit anybody. … They can say whatever they want. That was not the case. I was out there to try to save the game,” Suarez said Friday through an interpreter, according to ESPN.
Suarez hit Ohtani in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Dodgers’ 5-3 to the Padres at home. In the top of the inning, Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was struck by a pitch thrown by Dodgers reliever Jack Little, who was making his major league debut.
The benches cleared, including Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Padres manager Mike Shildt. Shildt shouted at Roberts, who rushed over to confront Shildt. Roberts ended up bumping Shildt and both managers were ultimately ejected at the end of the donnybrook.
Thursday’s game marked the third time Tatis was hit by a Dodgers pitch in nine days.
‘After a while, enough’s enough. Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is I took exception with it,” Shildt said after the game, according to MLB.com.
“I think anyone would understand there’s no intent there,” Roberts said. “And even by my reaction, I didn’t feel good about Tatis — great player, good guy — getting hit.”
A similar incident was avoided in the bottom of the inning in part because Ohtani waved his teammates off.
MLB suspended Shildt and Roberts for one game each and fined them an undisclosed sum for “unsportsmanlike conduct and for contributing to inciting the benches-clearing incident.”
Both managers served their suspensions on Friday. Padres bench coach Brian Esposito filled in for Shildt and Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann filled in for Roberts.
The Padres lost, 6-5, to the Kansas City Royals at home. Suarez did not pitch. The Dodgers beat the Nationals, 6-5, at home.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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