Major League Baseball announced today that Marlins righty Jose Urena has received a six-game suspension for plunking Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna last night. Atlanta first base coach Eric Young Sr. was also hit with a one-game ban for his role in the ensuing melee.
Depending upon one’s point of view — and everyone seems to have one on this particular subject — the suspension will likely seem appropriate or gallingly short. This is a rather typical MLB punishment for such a transgression. On the other hand, most MLBTR readers preferred a lengthier ban, with nearly three of four poll respondents this morning opining that Urena should miss ten or more games.
A major aspect of this debate, of course, relates to the unique nature of starting pitching. A six-game ban will mean that Urena won’t be able to make his next scheduled start, but he could just wait and throw a few days later. As many have pointed out over the years, then, such a punishment doesn’t seem to deliver much punch as a disincentive.
There is a bit of an intriguing quirk in the Miami schedule that is worth noting: if Urena does not appeal, he’ll first be eligible to return against the Braves. This being the National League, he’d also have to step up to the plate. While karmic thinking is tempting, though, that tends to further perpetuate the intentional plunking approach to self-policing supposed transgressions against the game of baseball.
Notably, the league’s announcement made clear that the commissioner’s office had determined Urena intentionally hit Acuna, who had led off each of the prior three games against the Marlins with a home run. While Urena has not admitted such an intention, and evidently told manager Don Mattingly he was only trying to work inside on Acuna, there really wasn’t much doubt in most minds as to his culpability. The umps working the game sent Urena packing, after all, for evidently trying to send some sort of misguided message. MLBTR’s Steve Adams provided full details on the situation this morning.
Not enough
Agreed, he should get traded to Baltimore and be forced to start all of their games after serving a 15 Game suspension.
It really doesn’t matter to the Marlins anyway. They’re out of the race; They’ll merely call up another inconsequential rookie to fill the spot
Those of you trying to arguing “not intentional”..?
“Jose Ureña is the first Starter in the live-ball era to hit a batter on the only pitch he threw.”
If that‘s not intentional, I don’t know what is.
mobile.twitter.com/StatsBySTATS/status/10298838693…
Ronald Acuña Jr. is the hottest rookie in baseball. He’s Giving fans a reason to watch again. And this douchbag hits him on purpose with a 97MPH fastball because he’s doing great?
Sorry, is that how they did it in the “old” days?
mobile.twitter.com/StatsBySTATS/status/10295580343…
Isn’t he the one also got Evan Longoria of giants out for two months???
Ridiculous! Should have been more.
Fair
Very much fair.
Fair, when compared to past punishments. However, not just. Needs to be longer
So he misses two starts or just gets 6 days rest between starts?
Exactly… basically he just gets two extra games rest.
Yasiel Puig (an everyday player) got a 2 game hit for shoving… Ureña tries to intentionally hurt a player and gets technically a one game ban with this suspension…. this is pathetic
It’s not a one game ban in any way. It’s a one start ban. A pitcher missing one start is substantially more punishment both for him and for the team that has to replace him than a position player missing two games.
I meant that he’s gonna be out his start. Regardless, it’s not the fact that the marlins are gonna have to use another player (as they’re irrelevant anyways this year) it’s the fact that he was only suspended for 6 games… that’s b.s.
How is it bs, it’s been the standard for awhile.
At one point, playing golf with a wooden ball was the standard too.
yeah especially when the team is 30 games out of 1st
He’s not missing a start, he’s only getting it pushed back a couple of days.
A 6 game ban doesn’t automatically mean he skips his spot in the rotation.
Urena will miss 6 days of pay to Puig’s 2.
Puig’s lost pay- 114,000
Ureña- 20,000
Just found that interesting.
So suspend Urena for a month plus to make the pay even? Puig losing out on that much money should give him even more of an incentive not to be a hot head.
I was wondering about that. Thanks.
Thats 20k to his charity
And 114k to puigs charity. Puig also makes 8mil aav more than Ureña
I mean, they are extremely rough estimates by taking their 2018 salary per game. I don’t know how it’s officially calculated, but I’d guess this is all fairly close.
Give a fine in addition to the suspension.
My understanding is that the salary is paid over the course of the season which is (if I remember right) 187 days up (up from 180 last season). So each day on the ML roster earns you 1/187 of your salary, and thus each day lost to suspension loses you 1/187. I don’t imagine that suspensions include incidental off-days that might be included in their suspension window, so Urena is losing 6/187 of his salary. Assuming he’s making the league minimum ($507,500), that’d be about $16,283.
If anyone could verify or correct any of the assumptions I made here that’d be cool, though!
Puig is never not going to be a hot-head. He’s too immature, he will go down like the Milton Bradley’s of years past, as soon as his talent starts to leave him, teams won’t put up with his shenanigans.
Puig $80,646
spotrac.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/yasiel-puig-11…
Ureña $18,546
spotrac.com/mlb/miami-marlins/jose-urena-16098/fin…
They make different salaries so what is interesting?
He wasn’t trying to hurt him. He tried to send a message that he can’t own home plate and the batter’s box. Unfortunately, Acuna tucked his elbow and got hit in a bad spot. Had he just turned, it would have hit him in the top of his butt or very lower back. No head hunting at all on the part of Urena…just bad luck for Acuna.
Not saying I condone it, but I can say he wasn’t trying to hurt him…only send a message that has been sent for decades in MLB
I couldn’t disagree with you more, but in the end, none of us will know Urena’s true intentions.
I don’t know Urena’s true intentions just like I don’t really know OJ stabbed his wife.
Even if, as Urena claims, he only wanted to throw inside, it’s irresponsible for someone with his control issues to go inside with his hardest leadoff fastball of the season. Imo, he has to deal with the consequences of an intentional hit batter either way, since he accepted the very clear risk of hitting him.
BS. Acuna was nowhere near crowding the plate. Look at the video again.
He wasn’t trying to hurt him?? Seriously?? He threw the fastest pitch he’s ever thrown…directly at him. If that’s not intentionally trying to hurt someone, then please enlighten the masses with what your definition of it is. Obviously you didn’t even watch the play to make such an asinine and dumb comment
It wasn’t the fastest pitch he’s “ever” thrown.
It was the fastest he’s thrown in a game this year. There are some naive people on the internet. Yes, he was mad that Acuña was having so much success against his team. Yes, he tried to hit him. Yes, he wanted to fight the Braves after they got mad about it.
I thought it was “fastest first pitch to start a game” he’s ever thrown?
Just his fastest pitch recorded by stat cast in his career so far. Just stat cast stats.
Hogwash. You don’t throw a 97 mph pitch at someone without the intention of hurting them. Maybe he didn’t want to see Acuna injured, but he was trying to hurt him.
Also, Urena is a coward. Why not try to beat him? Instead, Urena cheated.
Was he supposed to throw slower then he does?
One, that’s the fastest pitch he’s had all year.
Two, the cowardly part is that he hit him at all.
He absolutely was trying to hurt him. That’s what “sending a message” is. He intended to hit him with a baseball because it hurts when you get hit with a baseball. Therefore, he intended to hurt him.
and how exactly do you “absolutely” know this?
your assertion lacks facts and therefore does not
come to a logical conclusion
Yeah throwing a hard object 97 mph at someone isn’t trying to hurt him.
so prove to me how you know he intentionally
tried to hit and hurt him?
@Bosox
Moron
The pitch was nowhere near his butt genius. And you said basically its Acuna’s fault for not turning in? You are a jerk
Keep in mind as well that Urena missed the entire game yesterday after being ejected as well. So he’ll miss two starts because of his stupid beanball.
However, he still got paid for yesterday.
Yeah, it doesn’t work like that. He still got paid.
His suspension should have been at least 20 games. Same for every pitcher. 20 games, reduced down to 12 on appeal. Typical.
That was for getting tossed out. That is not part of the suspension so there is nothing to keep in mind
puig also punched hundley.it actually should have been longer.
Hundley should have kept his mouth shut.
I’m not a fan of any NL team but dang it I’m so tired of them thinking they can reprehend grown man about their actions when upset or happy. So what Puig was animated. He fouled off a pitch he thought he had. I think Puig has become a target for whatever reason. He’s certainly a hot head and takes the bait each time but still. Let the dude be who he is.
Remember it’s not just the suspension in terms of missed games..if he is making the MLB league min.. he will lose out on about $3,500 a day.. or over $20,000 for the 6 days..
What will the Marlins do without Urena for one start? They’re screwed!
At least I’ll be able to return to my regular life now. I haven’t been able to sleep since the horrible beaning, wondering if justice would be served. It shook me to my core. My hunger strike will now end as well. #JusticeForAcuna #WeWillNeverForget
Good. No big deal. It’s baseball.
you can not prove intent only assume it
hard to set a precedent
There is a point where reasonable belief has to take place.
This isn’t a court of law
When you’re basically taking 20K out of someone’s pocket, I think you’d want to have some proof of intent.
That said, I have no doubt Ureña did this intentionally.
realgone and modified you are both right, but unfortunately that does not make my statement any less true
Joke of a sentence. Keep it in the game Manfred. Fans love when players lost for seasons’ due to blatant intention HBP…
Same post in poll. But even more relevant here:
What a great example for kids. Btw Just cuz XRAYS are negative doesn’t mean Acuna’s off the hook. How many times did injuries show up later after false positives? *Cough* Brandon Drury? Mark Teixeira? Whoever else
Not a Braves fan, but I pray for Acuna’s future, (season) and FUTURE of this game if you guys approve because ..wait for it.. “it’s been in the game for decades.”
Can one person respond without insulting (other than mrnatewalter, thank you for keeping it civil despite our disagreement)
Lol. U think this stuff will end baseball? More like keep it relevant
Why didn’t the braves manager get anything for going after an opposing player? Bush league in my books , do not matter what happens , a manager should never go after another teams (or there own player). Stiniker should have got the most games.
My mistake , eric young sr should have gotten more .
HOGWASH I TELL YOU!!! HOGWASH
He should have punched Mattingly right in the teeth.
Noah Syndegard threw at Alcidies Escobar’s head in the world series…what was his suspension???
He’s “Thor” though and is very popular on Twitter. Big difference. He’s a hero to the children of the world.
you’re right that makes it OK.
He is a great example to the “children of the world” all those children in the middle east and Africa, and India, and South Africa, and even trailer parks in America, and don’t forget the motherless children in Antarctica.
Hey kids watch me 100 mph baseball at another man’s head.
You’re right twitter popularity makes this OK.
he threw it over his head, didn’t hit him. Bob Gibson is a head hunting HOF’er
Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports had something to say about that today:
In the 3,884 1/3 regular-season innings Gibson pitched over 17 years, he hit 102 batters. CC Sabathia has thrown 3,436 1/3 innings and hit 118 batters. Johnny Cueto isn’t even at 2,000 innings and has more HBP than Gibson. Charlie Morton is one shy of Gibson in 1,177 career innings. Gibson’s reputation as someone who would blow up a hitter is baseball’s version of a game of telephone.
Passan is a snowflake and an embarrassment to baseball writers everywhere. Social justice baseball writers continue to destroy the game with their personal angst and ideology.
Passan failed to mention how many warnings Gibson had when throwing inside. Probably less than today’s generation of pitchers who are warned without reason.
Passan fails to mention how hitters crowd the plate. Fearlessness in today’s hitters has been aided by guys like Passan. Will make for longer games which seems to be another problem MLB refuses to properly resolve.
How many guys wore body armor in the 60’s and 70’s? Exactly.
I haven’t looked at the play since it happened but I dont think that ball was 6 ft in the air when it reached the catcher
That was as bush league as it gets and a young star could have gotten hurt. He deserved 10 games (2 starts, one paycheck with $0 and one with a dent).
How is it bush league. When its what baseball has been for decades?
either more than 10 games, or 6 games PLUS Acuna gets one free shot to punch Urena in the face.
If this happened back in the 80’s, 90’s or even early 2000’s, it would have received 0 coverage. While I don’t necessarily condone it, are we getting too politically correct over ‘little’ things like this?
Right or wrong, this has always been a part of baseball. If some is dominating your team offensively, hanging out over the plate with no fear; you knock him down on his butt to let him know he can’t get too comfortable in the batters box. Urena appeared to try and do the right thing; hit him in the mid-section or the rear end. The ball was six inches too high for that to happen and Acuna tucked his elbow; unfortunately he tucked it right into a 98 mph fastball.
I am a huge Acuna fan (reminds me of a young Mookie Betts) and love what this Braves team is doing this year. I never want to see someone get hurt in these situations either; but I completely understand why Urena did what he did and I think 6 games is a pretty harsh sentence for doing something pitchers have done for generations in MLB.
Thoughts???
At some point baseball needs to move on from the draconian non-reason that is “it was done in the past, therefore it’s ok now”.
Why
I don’t think baseball has been full of pitchers willing to bean rookies they never faced before because they hit homeruns off other pitchers.
What would’ve happened if that pitch had broken Acuna’s arm and put him on the DL the rest of the year, possibly ending Atlanta’s playoff hopes? Would you say it’s just part of the game?
How about after the inevitable intent HBP hits a player’s exposed head, gives them a concussion and possibly ends their career? Just part of the game?
Think about stuff like that happening off the field and criminal charges would be filed.
how many games did the pitcher who ended David Wright’s career get
I’m not sure what you are on about. Who ended David Wright’s career other than David Wright and his body that won’t stop falling apart?
So now guys are on the sidewalk throwing 97 mph pitches at people walking by? Each and every player has consented to potential injury resulting from actions in the game. You play the what if game about a possible injury that didn’t happen. What if Acuna was hit and didn’t sustain an injury? You know, like… exactly what happened.
Because it has been happening for years does that make it right? Don’t get me wrong i love a bit of animosity between teams, but you should not be hitting players just because they are good. Would you feel the same if it was Betts that got hit and had to leave the game and potentially miss more in a tight race for the division? I know i would be mad and would want a lengthy suspension.
As a Red Sox fan I have watched Betts have to hit the deck more then once in the last few months and I believe he has been thrown at he has just gotten out of the way. There seems to be a lot of venom over this but the reality is you are going to have guys hit it is part of baseball pitchers have to pitch inside or they get shelled. When pitchers pitch inside players are going to get hit that’s just a fact. I have more of a problem with guys going head hunting with the up and in pitch then the square in the lower back pitch. You can’t just have guys suspended for 5 starts as a starter. Unless the guy comes out and says yea I hit him and intended to hit him. You are just opening Pandora’s box Sale has hit 11 guys this year and if he got a 5 start suspension because someone decided that he threw someone on purpose that would infuriate me.
Agreed. This was maybe a game or two too long for just a mere HBP on the arm, this entire thing was hyped by the media for no damn reason, making it sound like he threw 100 directly at his head and then taunted him. Acuna made no attempt to get out of the way, and at 19, his reflexes aren’t going to get any better – he could have easily dodged that – so this is on him as much as it is the pitcher. He was expecting another meatball down the middle and wasn’t prepared for the opposite. I bet he will learn from this.
How do you dodge a 97 mph fastball thrown directly at you? Oh yeah, you don’t
Ignore this guy. He’s a resident troll.
Doesn’t matter how old you are. You’re not dodging a 97 mph pitch thrown right at you. All I’m saying. Not trolling
Or he could be telling you to ignore the guy you’re responding to…
Your post wasn’t anywhere near trolling. 97mph, how much time one got to react? Lol
@kaskro This isn’t you and me dodging 97mph. These are professional athletes that read pitches at this speed on a daily basis. Adam Eaton dodged 101 and 102 against the Cardinals on Monday before finally getting hit in the arm.
He hit him in the arm that sticks out over the plate… so what. He didn’t throw at his head. Acuna had been hitting homeruns on the first pitch and first AB in several games before that. The way you combat that is to throw a little inside to make him think about it and put it in his mind. Pitchers are allowed to have strategies too.
Sorry for the clarification, kaskro, I was referring to justin-turner-overdrive.
He’s a resident troll, and suggesting someone dodge a 97 mph fastball is a troll thing to say. It’s best if you ignore him.
BoSoxWin – you’re spot-on.
The game has changed; batters wear body armor more than ever before, hitters crowd the plate more and plenty more warnings and ejections by umpires whenever balls are thrown too close in today’s game.
Whenever people talk about changing the “old ways” I’d argue A) it already has based on reactions, and B) what’s the alternative/solution to these situations? There isn’t. Let the players with millions of dollars at-stake take matters in their own hand. They’ll figure it out, good or bad.
Your body armor argument is completely untrue. In the 90s, Mo Vaughn wore an arm guard the size of a kite shield. He wouldn’t even try to avoid getting hit by a pitch. MLB cracked down on the size of those “elbow pads” then. Those rules are still in effect.
Dandy – MLB cracking down would have meant banning the arm guards. It is what should have happened and didn’t.
Now, to say my argument is untrue would be a misstep on your part; I’d go on a limb and say a higher percentage of hitters wear an arm guard than they did during Mo Vaughn’s 90’s tenure in Boston.
Yea, someone would have decked Urena. Then the teams would have spent the rest of the game hitting each other. That’s not good for baseball.
One fastball into Urena’s back would have sent a clear message. Now that Urena didn’t get that message he now has license to do it again without real accountability. 20 game suspension is a nice rest for his arm and losing money is not a factor these days.
Yeah it’s always been a part of the game is a stupid argument. So we should also go back to spitting on black people or not even letting them play at all? Back to fans standing in the outfield at Wrigley? Back to no lights at the stadiums? At some point common sense needs to come into play.
“Acuna”; “Urena” — I see that the Tilde Ban has already affected MLBTR.
(See comments on Jeff Todd’s chat today.)
It sounds like both players are appealing the ban.
Bring up a flame throwing minor leaguer and hit Urena in the noggin. See if Urine likes it.
So you’re saying kill a guy? That’s brilliant.
Because getting hit on the elbow is the same thing as getting hit on the head without a helmet.
Should’ve been 10 games at least.
If the player gets hurt his DL stint should be the same length in punishment.
Not like even if he was a decent player the suspension would be that much. Just gives Urena an extra day of rest.
Scott Cousins punishment all over again.
Ray Chapman just rolled over in his grave
These are the softest comments I’ve ever heard for a hit by pitch in the elbow. Any games is ridiculous. At most a fine.
This incident got more coverage than it deserved. Really a non story. Batter has been killing your team and is comfortable at the plate. As a pitcher you have to own the plate and should brush the batter back at least. Not too long ago, Carlos Carrasco would head hunt hitters for owning him, but those incidents didn’t nearly get this much coverage and that’s more concerning.
Shoulda been 10+
As a Braves fan, MLB wants this settled on the field. Any longer of a suspension and he would miss the Braves series 8/23-26 in Miami. Now, he could go…and if he does, get ready.
What is that like one start only? He should be suspended six starts.
Fine, Mattingly will schedule Ureña to start at LF the next 6 nights. Now, he doesn’t miss a start at SP.
The punishment is in line with past suspensions. MLB can’t dole out differing lengths of suspensions based on the ability/popularity of the player hit by a pitch.
Perfect suspension. Braves will be able to hit Urena now.
Ok, I guess the message is go ahead and hit a batter to slow down his hot streak. A hot streak that puts more fans in the seats and increases positive focus on MLB. In other words don’t try to strike the batter out. Don’t compete. Got it. I’ll go ahead and relay MLB’s message to my kids.
At what point is it gonna be understood that some dudes dont have superb control. When you crowd the plate like acuna does you can expect people to brush you off the plate. Much like todays world people get triggered and upset over the smallest things. Bottomline if you crowd the plate wear an arm protector and be ready to get hit.
Also acuna isnt injuried and is starting today lol
Dave Roberts is on record saying that he saw it and it was intentional and he should be suspended. Even Donnnie Baseball seemed to have some trouble defending him. That speaks volumes to me.
What are the chances of him throwing that terrible of a pitch, and the fastest fastball he’s ever thrown, on the very first pitch of the game? Especially after there had been talk before the game of this happening, and his manager talking to him about it? I’d say the chances of it just being bad luck are around 1%. You’re right that there is a chance it was bad luck, I don’t disagree with you. But all of those factors make it pretty obvious what almost definitely occurred. Urena’s response right after he threw the ball also should tell you enough about his intent.
What a joke. This is appropriate if there was like a “just cause” in the unwritten rules. A player having great success and doing so in a humble fashion doesn’t deserve his career to flash before his eyes cause some hot head bad pitcher wants to make a name for himself. What a joke. Should have put an outrageous fine on him and made an example out of the piece of trash
Now it’s official. He is a dirty player who intentionally tries to hurt other players. He is on notice. Next time will be more.
The Marlins won’t let him pitch again vs the Braves this year. It would mean war. Doesn’t make sense.
The reason many former players and managers are responding against Urena is because of the fact he came in with 97mph heat. Not because he came inside. If he comes in 80mph and pegs him, this is a non story. Ratings will be up for the rematch when Urena starts against them for sure.
Or he will be on the Phantom DL, and gets off easy like six game punishment.
Lmao, you are probably right
I can kinda see both sides of this. At first I was thinking he should get a longer suspension, but the more I think about it, I’m thinking it was fair.
Yes, I don’t agree with the old school mentality of “just hit the guy”, but there is something to be said about pitching strategy. Acuna was hot, and had multiple games at the plate with lead-off homeruns. He is feeling comfortable at the plate. How do you combat that as a pitcher? You throw it inside and brush him off the plate. Not hit him necessarily, but put the thought in their head that the pitcher might throw inside. And yes, it can be said that it was on the first pitch, but Acuna is known to hit homeruns on first pitches as well. It’s not like Acuna made the best effort to get out of the way. Urena didn’t head hunt, he hit him on the arm.
To those that say he should get a 20 game suspension or whatever, I would ask what you expect the pitcher to do? Do you want him to throw on the outside part of the plate? A longer suspension could work both ways. You can’t then have pitchers fearing that any time they miss inside and hit a guy, they will be suspended without pay for multiple games. No, I don’t think hitting people on purpose and head hunting should be part of the game. But backing a guy off the plate because he is comfortable and swinging for the fences on the first pitch is.
Where’s Golden Boy at to call everyone snowflakes?
I assume he’s over at HuffPo trolling them.
But use a different pitch. I read somewhere today that someone said they should tell Keith Hernandez they are going to throw at Degrom because he’s been unhittable. Same principle.
If it was a breaking ball then it probably wouldn’t had drawn so much attention.
No it wouldn’t have, but it’s easier to say a breaking ball got away from you than a laser fastball directly to someone’s ass.
Cole Hamels did this to Harper his rookie year then post game admitted his intention and no one batted an eye. Is it because Cole was a bigger name in the game than this kid? Harper was more hyped? And Hamels got 5 games. I have no dog in the fight. Just wondering what y’all think the difference is.
Time. People are more vocal about how sick they are of garbage plays. We’re further and further removed from the “old ways”, and people aren’t afraid to question tradition.
I’m old school and definitely believe that pitchers should pitch inside when necessary, but I also believe that intentionally hitting a batter should draw a must stiffer penalty than this. If major league baseball truly desires to protect its players then it dropped the ball in this instance.
What a joke
Should have been a fine only
Baseball went soft
Sarcasm? 97.5 MPH right at the elbow. Urena’s soft.
Urena hit 25 batters since beginning last season. Soft command? You mean Soft punishment?
Unless his elbow is growing out of the middle of his back, Urena didn’t throw the ball “right at the elbow.”
My bad. How close was to the elbow area..? Isn’t that most likely part lost for seasons…?
Priggs, not gonna lie. everytime a player gets hit in the elbow, **** bricks. displeasure of watching it end prime Granderson’s season (twice) before signing w/ Mets.
Thank God for elbow guards, and those who choose to wear them. Thanks for correction, Glad Acuna is ok.
Priggs89, Recently learned wrist is a bad one… HBP suck dude, and they’re scary for both player and team. Obvious ones, like this one, should recieve stiffer sentences. I would have attributed velocity if intentional drilling (97.5MPH) into length of punishment.
Urine Urena should have to spend the night with a pedophile preist as part of his punishment. It will add a whole new meaning to stations of the cross on his “soon to be loose” sphincter.
You’re insane
Seriously? Dude plunked a guy…who cares. Odds are he meant to do it. So what. When he comes up to bat, he’ll get his. That’s how it works. It’s baseball. These are grown a** men. Stop acting like they are your 6 year old daughters.
It’s the WHY that is upsetting people. He hit a guy intentionally because he’s been hitting home runs. He was basically saying “you’re too good, and because I can’t get you out I’ll hit you and take you out of the game.”
Hitting because you tried pitching inside and it got away from you is one thing, hitting as retaliation for the aforementioned is one thing, but this is just cheap bush-league unsportsmanlike, childish trash.
Want to push a guy off a plate with an inside pitch, fine. But nobody should be thrown at for being good.
If you think this is the first time someone has been plunked for having a good series against another team then you are naive.
Amen Green Bay.
Why not jus smack him in the elbow with a hammer and call it a day?
Should have one arm cut off as a warning.
if hammels admitted he threw at harper and got 5 games how can you go much higher then that. as I said above you cannot prove intent only assume it so you cant really set a record breaking precedent.
I think the point is about breaking precedent because the status quo for this sort of thing does absolutely nothing to keep it from happening again.
Of course the ruling here lines up Urena’s next start with the Braves next weekend. So we’ll see what happens but I’m expecting another bench clearing.
Good article, but the word “plunking” implies a 76 mph curve ball. In this instance, “drilling” seems more apropos.
Not trying to ruffle any feathers, but the suspension for Urena is kind of arbitrary. Who really knows whether or not he meant to hit him vs intimidate him and push him off the plate? I mean, that is old school pitching. In addition, Urena DOES rank among the league leaders in HBP. I’ve never heard of him being a head hunter or ahole. So what happens the next time a pitcher plunks someone in the first inning? Is that an automatic suspension too?
Urena and Acuna don’t seem to have previous history, unless it took place in the minors. Was his motive to hit him because of the homeruns? I also think Mattingly threw him under the bus. Protect your players publicly and deal with him privately if need be. Mattingly is old school and I’m SURE he’s sent pitchers out there before to handle business. A pitcher must be able to pitch inside and sometimes it might get away with it. This rationale that he reared back and purposely threw as hard as he has ever thrown seems a bit silly. I’m sure he would like to throw as hard as possible on every fastball thrown. I get it…a young up and coming star was hit. As a Yanks fan watching Judge sit on the sidelines, I get it. But still, a bit arbitrary to me. Seems like they did it just to keep things from escalating. The suspension is fair in my opinion.
The way Mattingly responded is how we know Urena did it on purpose. Realmuto wouldn’t defend him either. When your manager and your catcher don’t drop the “ball slipped” platitude for you, they are basically telling the world you threw at a guy and they didn’t approve of it either.
And my point was, Mattingly has sent orders to hit batters before and defended his pitcher. Whether it was ordered or not, he shouldn’t have publicly thrown him under the bus. Baseball is like the mob. A bunch of archaic rules they want to romanticize over but seldom are they consistent with the application. Also, there’s zero way you can tell me that the possibility of throwing up and in to intimidate him, move his feet, make him uncomfortable was the objective as opposed to intent to hit him. He does have 11other incidents, none of which garnered this kind of animosity.
Don Sutton said when he wanted to send a message to an opposing batter, he would throw a pitch BEHIND the batter. That way there would be no question as to the intent of the pitch, and the batter wouldn’t get hurt.
Sutton hit 82 batter in his career. I’m sure some of those were intentional .
Hopefully he mans up and doesn’t appeal so he plays that game against ATL
The Marlins are not going to trot him out there.
I wonder if the Braves could sign Kyle Farnsworth out of retirement to throw at Urena the next time the two clubs play. I’d love to see Urena (or anyone really) charge the mound on Farnsworth. Heck, Farnsworth doesn’t even have to throw the pitch, let’s just let him come running from the bullpen when things get chippy.
MLB must have not seen the same video I watched. What a disgrace to give the little headhunter only a 6 game suspension. Shouldn’t have expected anything less from MLB after what I’ve seen in the past.
6 games should mean 6 starts for pitchers. That’s a slap on the wrist and he has the audacity to appeal it?
Should be a 4 start ban for urena not 6 games
That’s cool. He will be forever known as a coward…not a competitor.
Yeah because he’s the first pitcher to intentionally throw at a hitter? It’s incredulous how silly your statement is. If that the case then Bumgarner is the biggest coward because he instigates fights because ppl didn’t run around the bases the right way….or showed exuberance when they get a big hit or frustration when they hit a pop up.
Well, all the people saying Urena should be out as long as Acuna plus 5 games got pretty much exactly what they were asking for…
Urena is simply a coward!
Marlins should demote him to single A until rosters expand Sept 1.
Where were the Braves fans crying foul on June 9, 2007? Don’t remember? Tim Hudson, Braves starter, drills Alfonso Soriano with the first pitch of the game after he hits 3 HRs the night before. Karma Braves…Karma.
I know!!! These guys are acting like he’s the first pitcher to plunk a guy. He didn’t throw at his head. If I were a pitcher, with control, I’m throwing inside on the regular. High and tight. Now if you CANT control it then throwing high and tight is a bit too risky for my liking. But that being said, he didn’t throw at his head.
Urena is a poor excuse for a human being. So his team is getting beaten so he decides to attempt breaking the bone of an opponent-Ronald Acuna Jr who is just 20 years old and is hitting the cover off the ball by throwing a pitch to do maximum damage and injure. Urena should have got a ban of 3 starts, not 6 games-this is a weak penalty, furthermore, he should have been hurt more in his pocket. Urena obviously doesn’t know what sportsMANship is because he obviously isn’t a MAN, he’s a scumbag.
You must be new to the game and a Braves fan. The reality is this has been going on for decades and the players police themselves. Absolutely…Urena is going to get thrown at the next time he hits vs ATL. And trust me, his teammates aren’t likely thrilled either since they may now be targeted as well…but read above. Not even your lovable Braves are innocent in this sort of thing. Tim Hudson, June 9, 2007 comes to mind immediately. Google it….or head to Baseball Reference.
You must be a Cubs fan that holds a serious grudge. Get some help.
Also you miss the point entirely. No one is arguing this unwritten rule hasn’t been around for decades. They want it to change because it has no place in today’s game. There’s a pretty big consensus about this. Google it.
2040
“You must be new to the game”.
Actually, no, I am “not new to the game”.
Plunking Acuna for hitting 3 home runs in 3 games when there was no history between Urena and Acuna, so no, this type of thing hasn’t been going on for decades at all. You “must be new to the game” because Acuna did nothing to deserve this at all, he didn’t stand and admire his home runs, he didn’t show any pitcher up, he didn’t run around the bases showing off, therefore you must be new to the game, context is everything here.
No, it hasn’t “been going on for decades”, put context into the incident first, furthermore, just tell me how many times Soriano was caught ‘admiring’ home runs. Acuna hasn’t done any showboating, Soriano did.
A plunking might occur around showing other teams up, showing pitchers up, showboating when you hit a home run, being arrogant, and that’s where your “decades” comment comes in, and since Acuna did none of the aforementioned things, then no, it hasn’t been going on for decades. Urena is a coward, and Acuna did not deserve it.
Should be rock-bottom 30-day suspension. And why do pitchers (especially starters) get the same style suspension as position players? Suspend a shortstop 5 games, he misses 5 games. Suspend a pitcher 5 games, he misses what?….one?
Suspend a shortstop for 5 games then he misses 3% of the season. Suspend a pitcher for 1 start and you get the same results. The idea is more that it’s a burden on the team as a whole.
I hope the Braves “unintentionally hit him every time he bats when they play him. He basically got a one game suspension if Miami tweaks the rotation for him. If he would have gotten 15 to 20 days I’d say leave it alone. If MLB wants this kind of stuff to stop, hand out meaningful suspensions. Your basically begging the Braves to go after him…
Pitchers suspensions should be equivalent to position players. So a 5 gamer should be 5 starts they are suspended for.
That’s not anywhere near equivalent since starters get like 30 starts a year. 5 starts would mean you have to start giving 25 game suspensions to position players.
Deport him
The real issue here is you can’t arbitrarily go out and give someone what amounts to 25 game suspension. If the guy admitted to it and said hell yea I meant to hit the guy then yes there should be precedent set for that. The problem you have here is who decides if a pitcher gets a 5 start suspension? What if the Ace on your team gets a 5 start suspension after this precedent being set how would you feel and if you say you would be ok with it you are lying to yourself.
The guy didn’t go head hunting which I believe is much worse. Did he mean to hit him probably but you can’t prove it. The pitch was going at the guys midsection and if you think this guy has the pinpoint control to throw at Acuna’s elbow you are kidding yourself. The 6 game suspension is about right here.
If you want to set precedent and open Pandora’s box then yes you give the guy a 5 start suspension. If you do that, however, then who decides who gets the 5 game suspension?
hammels admitted to hitting harper intentionally some years
ago and got 5 games, so how can you go much higher
once again you can not prove intent you are only assuming it
Pedro.. Clemens…Drysdale…Gibson. Condoning hitting a player is not the way to play the game.. but Urena is not exactly the most accurate pitcher to begin with. Sending a message or backing someone off the plate is part of the game that has been lost. Again it was unfortunate and luckily Acuna was not hurt Aaron judge was hit on wrist.. when hitters get too comfortable at the plate they need to be moved off it. There are better spots to choose. But throwing in and brushing back is part of the game. I’m not saying if there was intent or not. Obviously he was throwing in. Would it have made a difference if it happened in the 4th inning?
Brushing someone back is part of keeping hitters off balance, but Acuna wasn’t even close to crowding the plate. And why uncorked one and try to throw as hard as you can to brush someone back? I’m not saying lob one underhand, but 97.5 mph on a brush back doesn’t make sense knowing the potential damage it can cause.
Watching the game then seeing the replay, that pitch would not have hit him in a good spot if he didn’t tuck his elbow and turn his back like someone said. He spun once he recognized the pitch but didn’t have enough time to turn, and his elbow was tucking towards his ribs (which is a pretty natural reaction). It was running up towards the bottom of his rib cage.
Looking at Realmuto after seeing what happened, he gave a “Really? Come on man” reaction. I can’t say with certainty he was trying to hit him because I don’t know what was going through his mind, but it could definitely be seen as intentional. I could see an excuse of Realmuto set-up low-inside and the the pitch got away (I don’t believe that btw). Although, I find it hard to believe a first pitch fastball was called for a guy who had been destroying baseballs as of late, especially at the start of games.
In summation, Keith Hernandez is a complete asshat for saying that was the right thing to do. Meaning he believed it was intentional and warranted.
As a Braves fan I would love to give Urena the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t intentionally targeting Acuna. Rather he was trying to throw as hard as he could the first pitch of the game right by him. The other part says no he was sticking up for his fellow pitching mates. Your comment FG-3 would it have made a difference had it happened in the 4th. Of course it would have. All the hype going into the game was Acuna taking MIA pitchers deep 3 games in a row on the first pitch of the game. If the game plan of Urena was to send a message to him in the 4th and drill mid way through the game…No suspension and no mass media coverage. Other than Acuna got hit in the 4th by a pitcher who doesn’t have the greatest control. The ATL likely would have been ahead in the game. Probably the same outcome the kid tries to stay in the game but ultimately comes out later once he comes in and his arm is sore from the adrenaline wearing off…Happens in the 4th no suspension no mele.and only Urena knows he sent a message to the kid and lets his teammates know that’s how you do it. No one is the wiser if he does it in the 4th.
I don’t like the intent… it’s not what the game is about… but if he would have brushed him back.. or if players get brushed back.. it’s to keep hitters on there toes. If he hits a screaming line drive back up the middle.. a pitcher is basically defenseless. Not exactly the same. I get it.. the game has changed. No running over catcher.. no hard slides. I get that. It’s to protect athletes. Players that mostly make more in 1 year than most make in a lifetime. It doesn’t make things fair or better.. but let’s be real guys. He played last night.
He such a puzz it doesn’t matter. Marlins are a bunch of Jokers and have lost respect for organization. Jeter and Mattingly included. Bunch of amaeteurs. Braves are classy organization who have a bunch of good years ahead. Marlins bunch of Puzzers.