Ben Goessling of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that MLB has suspended Twins right-hander Scott Diamond six games for throwing at Josh Hamilton last night. He was also fined an undisclosed amount. Diamond intends to appeal, but the worst-case scenario is that his next start will be pushed back one or two days. No biggie.
Diamond didn’t actually hit Hamilton last night, but he threw right near his head. It was apparently in response to Roy Oswalt hitting Joe Mauer in the previous half-inning. Home plate umpire Wally Bell likely would have warned both benches if Diamond hit Hamilton in the thigh or something like that, but throwing near his head brought the quick hook. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire stood up for his player and was also tossed, but Bell’s decision was justified.
Here’s the video of the play in question, starting with the Mauer hit-by-pitch: