New York (AFP) – Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Edwin Uceta was suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount on Wednesday for intentionally throwing at Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos, Major League Baseball said Wednesday. The Phillies had racked up five runs off five hits in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game when Uceta drilled Castellanos on the hip.
Both benches cleared, with Phillies star Bryce Harper confronting the Rays before the incident resolved with no real fighting. Uceta, who claimed the pitch was a change up that “got away” from him, was ejected, and the Phillies cruised to a 9-4 win. He can appeal the suspension, but Castellanos was certain that Uceta threw at him out of frustration.
“I mean, you’re throwing a baseball over 90 mph. You’re frustrated and you’re going to throw at somebody?” Castellanos said. “That’s like my 2-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he’s finished.” Rays manager Kevin Cash also received a one-game suspension and a fine as a result of Uceta’s action.
“Good kid. Probably lost his composure a little bit,” Cash said of Uceta. “Ideally, that doesn’t happen — we get through the inning. The game had gotten out of hand, they had done the damage, and we move on — just get off the field.”
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