Stroman drops appeal, suspension reduced to 5 games
Marcus Stroman began serving what was once a six game suspension Sunday, for throwing at the head of Baltimore Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph on Monday.
Stroman had been planning to appeal and was able to make his most recent start on Saturday against the Yankees in which he struck out seven and allowed just two runs in six innings .
Great use of timing Stroman, or maybe I should say Blue Jays? I don’t know whose idea it was to wait just long enough to drop the appeal but it worked. Stroman was able to start Saturday and help stop Toronto’s six game losing streak and will now be able to make another start before the end of the season.
He will miss his Thursday start against the Seattle Mariners but will get to start one more game before the season ends, against the Orioles again which is interesting since that’s the team he got the suspension against. Lucky for Stroman the game will not be held at Camden Yards. He’ll be safely at home in Toronto.
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When Manny Machado offended most of the Oakland A’s lineup, coaches and fans, things did not go well for him the next time he visited Oakland less than a month after the incident. Although it didn’t affect his play he got quite a ribbing from the fans.
Given the fact that Machado threw his bat with some very bad aim and Stroman threw at Joseph’s head less than a week after both Giancarlo Stanton and Chase Headley were hit in the face, it’s hard to say how the fans and players in Baltimore would react to another Stroman start against their team.
Stroman and the Blue Jays may still have to watch out for in-game retaliation. However, with the recent injuries from players being hit in the head whether pitching or while batting and the position the Orioles are in having won the A.L. Eastern title, one would hope manager Buckshowalter would ensure that his players not engage in any punishable activity.
Somehow this efficient (or strategic? or stupid?) use of time by Toronto has also gotten the 23-year-old’s suspension reduced from six games to five. The punishment was reduced without a hearing.
Stroman has had a brilliant rookie season and recently got his first career complete game shutout. He is 11-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings.
Despite deciding to drop his suspension Stroman has stuck to his original story. He claims not to have thrown at Joseph’s head in retaliation for Joseph stepping on teammate Jose Reyes‘ finger during a play at the plate.
"“I’d never intentionally throw at anyone. I respect the game. I respect the players way too much to ever do anything like that,” Stroman said on Wednesday. “Family, friends, teammates know the type of individual I am. But it’s tough, it’s tough to go about it.”"