Major League Baseball Announced Tuesday night that Astros reliever Hector Neris was suspended four games “for intentionally throwing the Mariners’ Eugenio Suarez in the head area while warnings were in effect.” He was also fined an undisclosed amount. Neris is appealing the ban, reports Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. You will remain on the active list while the appeal proceeds.
Houston captain Dusty Baker was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount due to Neris’s actions. That’s standard procedure in these situations, and Baker will miss Tuesday night’s game as a result. (Managers have no right of appeal.)
Bench coach Joe Espada will be interim manager in his place, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Espada himself was fined, as were fellow Houston staffers Omar Lopez and Troy Snitker and Seattle manager Scott Servais.
The discipline stems from Monday night’s game, when the benches were cleared after Neris hit Mariners infielder Ty France in the top of the ninth inning. While France did not appear to take offense at the launch itself, banks began to complain after a dispute over whether the launch actually hit it. Servais and López were sent off and the full-backs warned.
Julio Rodríguez followed France step by step with a two-run homer. Two batters later, Neris threw a fastball behind Suarez’s head and plate umpire Chris Guccione ejected both Neris and Baker. MLB has judged that the offer to Suarez was intentional, which led to the suspensions. The contest was the start of a three-game series between the American League West Division rivals.