Boston’s Ryan Dempster was suspended for 5 games and fined $2500 on Tuesday after hitting Alex Rodriguez with a 3-0 pitch Sunday night. Earlier in the at-bat, Dempster threw two pitches inside to Rodriguez and one behind the New York Yankees third baseman.
So here’s the recap….. Dempster is suspended for throwing at a guy (A-Rod) who is supposed to be suspended for the entire season, but is playing as he’s appealing the suspension. Got it?
While I must admit, as a Red Sox fan I kind of enjoyed watching Dempster bean A-Rod last Sunday night (I’ve watched it at least a half dozen times), I also think it was a pretty unclassy move. What made it worse was seeing the smug look on A-Rod’s face after he homered off Dempster two at-bats later. The Yankees went on to win the game 9-6 and Rodriguez went 3-for-4 on the night.
What is unbelievable about the whole thing is how MLB punished the action. It was pretty obvious that Dempster hit him on purpose, yet home plate umpire Brian O’Nora didn’t throw him out of the game….he only issued a warning to both teams. That decision infuriated Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was ultimately ejected for arguing the call. Girardi was also fined $5,000 for his post-game comments regarding the incident.
So let me get this straight, Girardi gets ejected and is issued a $5,000 fine. Dempster was not ejected, only needs to pay $2,500 and with the pitching rotation probably won’t miss a start from his 5-game suspension?
Major League Baseball seems to be sending a message about how they feel about A-Rod.
To put it in perspective, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was fined $10,000 on Thursday by the NFL for wearing unauthorized apparel before Monday night’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
So in MLB it’s a $2500 fine for intentionally throwing a baseball 80+ MPH at someone and in the NFL there’s a $10,000 fine for wearing the wrong shirt? I’m not sure which fine seems more ridiculous?
Throwing a baseball at that speed with the intention to hit someone should be considered reckless and should receive a harsher sentence than what was issued on Tuesday.
A-Rod might not be targeted again, but there is not much of a deterrent to prevent it….at least based on MLB’s Tuesday ruling.