Boston Red Sox right-hand pitcher, Ryan Dempster, was suspended by MLB for five games and fined an undisclosed amount on Tuesday for hitting New York Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, with a pitch on Sunday at Fenway Park.
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Dempster was the first pitcher to be accused of throwing at A-Rod following his 211 game suspension in the Biogenesis scandal.
Dempster denied it was intentional. “I was just trying to pitch inside,” said Dempster, who threw behind Rodriguez with his first pitch.
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In case you missed the pitch, you can see the GIF after the jump.
Dempster will not appeal the suspension, which began Tuesday. He was scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Dodgers but will be eligible to return next Tuesday. With the Red Sox scheduled to have off days Thursday and Monday, Dempster will not have to miss a start, which annoyed CC Sabathia, the New York Yankee pitcher and baffled Joe Girardi, who was fined for arguing with the home plate umpire.
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MLB had to disciple Dempster for obvious reasons, aside from the “throwing at any player must be condoned” reason. Allowing the incident to go unpunished would have made it open season on the NYY third baseman, and A-Rod is already accusing MLB and the Yankee organization of conspiring to get rid of him.
The Yankees will host the Red Sox Sept. 5.
What do you think about the suspension?
