New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza insisted that reliever Yohan Ramirez did not intentionally throw at Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Rhys Hoskins when firing a fastball behind him Saturday. However, Major League Baseball believes otherwise.
Ramirez was suspended for three games by MLB for throwing at Hoskins, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Ramirez is appealing the penalty and is available to pitch in Sunday’s game against Milwaukee. Mendoza received a one-game suspension and will serve it Sunday. The first-year manager was also fined.
The incident in question occurred during the seventh inning of Saturday’s game. Hoskins went 3-for-3 in his first three at-bats, notching a home run and four RBI. But bad feelings lingered from Friday’s matchup when Hoskins slid hard into the Mets’ Jeff McNeil at second base, to which the veteran infielder objected. As a result, both benches cleared onto the field.
During Hoskins’ fourth plate appearance Saturday, Ramirez threw a 94 mph fastball behind him on his first pitch. Brewers manager Pat Murphy argued that Ramirez should be ejected and umpires eventually agreed with him, tossing the reliever from the game.
Afterward, Mendoza said that Ramirez did not intend to throw at Hoskins.
“I know it looks really, really bad,” Mendoza told reporters after Saturday’s game. “But we’re not trying to hit anybody here.”
Ramirez explained that he didn’t have good grip on the baseball because of the chilly weather.
However, Hoskins was skeptical of Ramirez simply not having good control.
“Big leaguers don’t miss by eight feet,” he said. “Whether it was on purpose or not is really not for me to decide. But this game has had a way of policing itself for many, many years. So let’s focus on doing it the right way if we’re going to do that.”
Hoskins is in Sunday’s lineup for the Brewers, starting at first base against Mets pitcher Tylor Megill.
Source Agencies
