Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale will not be suspended for throwing at Machado
Last month, Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado unintentionally spiked Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. The two teams exchanged plunkings, with the final attempt taking place on Tuesday night.
First, let’s see how the two teams got here. Following Manny Machado‘s slide into Dustin Pedroia, Matt Barnes retaliated and threw at Machado’s head a day later. Barnes was ejected and suspended four games. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dylan Barnes plunked Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, sparking further animosity. Chris Sale continued the feud by throwing behind Machado Tuesday night.
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Despite throwing behind Machado, MLB has decided not to suspend Chris Sale, reports Buster Olney of ESPN. The bad blood between the two teams did not prompt a warning before the game. As a result, the umpiring crew did not eject Sale from the game. The pitch was a 98-mph fastball in Machado’s first at-bat.
Machado was not pleased with Sale and the Red Sox targeting him in his at-bats. In an expletive-laden rant, Machado said he “lost respect for that organization, that coaching staff and everyone over there,” according to ESPN. Machado continued:
"“You have pitchers out there with f—ing balls in their hands throwing 100 mph trying to hit people,” Machado said. “I’ve got a f—ing bat too. I could go up there and crush somebody if I wanted to, but you know what, I’ll get suspended for a year — and the pitchers only get suspended for two games. That’s not cool.”"
Unfortunately for Machado, the league did not suspend Sale. In fact, the league determined that Sale’s pitch lacked malice, unlike Barnes’ pitch a few days earlier. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to both teams and urged the feud to cease, reports Mike Oz of Yahoo! Sports.
The Orioles and Red Sox are in second and third place, respectively, in the AL East. The two teams meet 10 more times this season.
Chris Sale has a 1.38 ERA and 1.44 FIP in 45.2 innings pitched. The 28-year-old southpaw is no stranger to controversy. In 2016, while with the Chicago White Sox, the team scratched Sale from his start and sent him home on July 23 for slashing the club’s throwback jerseys.