Major League Baseball has announced a five-game suspension for Orioles third baseman Manny Machado as a result of his bat-throwing antics in the Orioles-Athletics game on Sunday. He has also received an undisclosed fine. Fernando Abad, the A’s pitcher who threw at Machado, has received an undisclosed fine but no suspension.
Tim Brown of Yahoo was the first to report that the discipline was coming down. Brown says Machado will appeal the suspension.
Reaction? It seems light to me. The last time someone was suspended for throwing a bat the way Machado did was in 2002 when the Red Sox’ Trot Nixon helicoptered a bat at Devil Rays pitcher Ryan Rupe. Nixon got four games. Thing is, however, since 2002 the suspensions for on-field things like beanballs and starting fights have gone up a few games. In light of that, one would think that inflation would hit something as severe as bat-throwing a bit harder than it appears to have.