MLB suspended Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman three games and also handed down one-game suspensions to Rays manager Kevin Cash and Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday. The discipline stems from their actions during and after Tuesday night's game when the teams got in a scuffle following the final out.
Both Cash and Boone will serve their suspensions Wednesday. Here's part of the announcement made by former big-league pitcher and MLB chief disciplinarian Chris Young:
- Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman has received a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for intentionally throwing a pitch at the head area of Mike Brosseau of the Rays in the top of the ninth inning. Chapman has previously been disciplined in his career for intentional throwing at the head area.
- Yankees manager Aaron Boone has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine as a result of Chapman's actions.
- Rays manager Kevin Cash has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his ejection and his postgame comments.
Chapman told reporters that he will appeal his suspension.
Things got tense between the two teams in the Bronx on Tuesday night after Chapman narrowly missed Michael Brousseau's head with a 100-mph fastball. After the game, Cash hinted at retaliation.
"It's poor judgement, poor coaching, it's just poor teaching what they're doing and what they're allowing to do," Cash told reporters after the game.
"The chirping from the dugout. Somebody needs to tell me, go pull up the numbers, who has hit who more, but I can assure you that other than three years ago, there hasn't been one pitch thrown with intent from any of our guys. Period. Somebody has to be held accountable. And the last thing I'll say on it, is that I have a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 mph. Period."
After the suspensions were made official, Boone told reporters: "I don't think I should be sitting out tonight, nor Chappy, but I do respect the process." Boone went on to joke that he'll "tighten up" his coaching as response to Cash's coaching critique after Tuesday's game.
Boone called Cash's Tuesday postgame remarks "reckless and inflammatory."
Prior to the start of the 2020 season, MLB made clear that there will be a zero-tolerance policy for fighting. Because of the coronavirus, MLB wants to minimize physical contact among players. After the conclusion of the Yankees-Rays game on Tuesday, both clubs' benches cleared, emotions were high and there was no adherence to social distancing guidelines.
The Houston Astros -- who were found guilty for using an illegal sign-stealing scheme this past offseason -- have been involved in two major dust-ups this season with the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Dodgers. Both instances resulted in suspensions and fines.
The Yankees-Rays rivalry has intensified in recent years, going back to 2018 when CC Sabathia retaliated by hitting Jesus Sucre after Rays' Andrew Kittredge threw behind the head of Austin Romine. Tensions ran high during an earlier Yankees-Rays series at Tropicana Field this season, which resulted in game ejections for Boone and Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames after they argued with umpires over the Rays throwing up-and-in on their right-handed batters.
The Rays and Yankees will square off in their head-to-head season finale Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. Entering Wednesday, the Yankees are 3.5 games back from the first-place Rays in the AL East.