MLB hands down five suspensions from Yankees-Tigers brawl
Major League Baseball acted quickly in handing down its punishments for Thursday’s ugly game between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers, which included one wild brawl that started when Miguel Cabrera threw a punch at Austin Romine. All told, eight players and managers were ejected after a game that saw four players hit by pitches and the benches clearing three times.
As you might have expected, the list of punishments from MLB is just as long, with five players/coaches suspended and seven more were fined. Cabrera leads the list with a seven-game suspension. Gary Sanchez of the Yankees and Alex Wilson of the Tigers got hit with four games each.
Here’s the full rundown per MLB:
• Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera has received a seven-game suspension for inciting the first bench-clearing incident and fighting.
• Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez has received a four-game suspension for fighting, including throwing punches.
• Tigers pitcher Alex Wilson has received a four-game suspension for intentionally throwing a pitch at Todd Frazier of the Yankees while warnings were in place for both sides.
• Yankees catcher Austin Romine has received a two-game suspension for fighting, including throwing punches.
• Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has received a one-game suspension for the intentional actions of Wilson while warnings were in place.
• All five individuals also received undisclosed fines as a part of their discipline. Others who were fined for their actions during the incidents were Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Yankees bench coach/acting manager Rob Thomson, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, Yankees pitcher Tommy Kahnle and Tigers shortstop José Iglesias. In addition, two members of the Yankees, first baseman Garrett Cooper and outfielder Clint Frazier, received fines for entering the field while being on the disabled list.
MLB players have the right to appeal any suspension. If they choose to appeal, they can play until their appeal is heard. Otherwise, the punishments begin with Friday’s games. Cabrera, Wilson and Sanchez have all said they’ll appeal.
[Now’s the time to sign up for Fantasy Football! Join for free]
Tempers between these two teams first flared back in July, but things really got ugly in Thursday’s game. It started with Gary Sanchez getting hit by a pitch from Tigers starter Michael Fulmer. Yankees fans will tell you that was intentional because Sanchez had hit four homers in the series, including one in Thursday’s game.
In the sixth inning, Kahnle threw a pitch behind Cabrera, which immediately led to the Yankees’ reliever and manager Joe Girardi being ejected. Before the game even resumed with new pitcher Aroldis Chapman on the hill, Cabrera and Romine were fighting. After having some words, Cabrera pushed Romine and threw a punch at his head, leading to the big brawl around home plate. Many players could be seen throwing punches, including Sanchez, who ran into the fray to throw a punch at Nick Castellanos of the Tigers and then left.
The benches cleared again in the seventh inning after Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances hit James McCann in the head with a 98 mph fastball, the most dangerous moment in this entire feud. Betances wasn’t punished by MLB. Benches cleared again in the eighth when Tigers reliever Alex Wilson hit Todd Frazier. In that clash, Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner was livid and trying to tangle with Tigers manager Brad Ausmus.
There was plenty of finger-pointing after the game, but Giradi, the Yankees skipper, said the umpires played a huge role in the ugly game by initially tossing Kahnle out of the game instead of issuing a warning to both dugouts.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – –
Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
