MLB Suspends Yordano Ventura and Manny Machado for Altercation
By Conner Grant
MLB officially handed down suspensions to Yordano Ventura and Manny Machado for their roles in this week’s brawl.
Major League Baseball has announced suspensions for Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura and Baltimore Orioles star infielder Manny Machado. Ventura will receive nine games, which means he will likely miss one start, while Machado receives four games.
Both players will appeal their suspensions, which allows them to play until Major League Baseball rules on the appeals.
The suspensions come down just two days after the altercation, when Ventura attempted to throw at Machado twice in the third inning of Tuesday’s game before Machado flew out to left field. The next at-bat, Machado was plunked on the hip which then led him to immediately charge the mound. Both benches and bullpens cleared in the brawl.
On top of the suspension, Machado was fined $2,500. Though, he won’t have to worry about paying the fine, as teammate Adam Jones said he’d cover any fines sent Machado’s way.
Jones said:
"“Screw it, defend yourself. Someone is trying to hurt you maliciously, you go out there and defend yourself.”"
Ventura was also fined for an undisclosed amount.
Following Tuesday’s game, reports surfaced of the frustrations the Royals organization has had with Ventura, citing that he is “immature,” and that the organization has “long awaited for him to grow up.” The Royals are so frustrated that sources say Ventura had even been shopped around the league, although GM Dayton Moore declined to talk about Ventura’s availability, saying that “it’s highly inappropriate and reckless to discuss any specific trade talks about players with the media.”
These punishments come in the wake of another recent on-field scuffle between Rougned Odor and Jose Bautista. You know, the one where Odor sent a huge right hook into Bautista’s jaw which then popped his sunglasses off.
In that fight, MLB gave Odor an eight-game suspension, while Bautista only got one game. Odor’s suspension would later be reduced to seven games.
Next: Ventura Wanted to Hit Bautista Too
As for the more recent suspensions, both the Royals and the Orioles will miss their suspended players whenever the appeals do come down. The Royals pitching staff has struggled, while the Orioles are already without J.J. Hardy at shortstop.