Tigers cleared after ump beaned by fastball

Major League Baseball has ruled the Detroit Tigers did not intend to throw a pitch that struck the plate umpire in the shoulder and knocked him to the ground. MLB said Friday chief baseball officer Joe Torre reviewed the play and found no wrongdoing. Umpire Quinn Wolcott was hit by a fastball from Detroit’s Buck Farmer during a game Wednesday in Cleveland. Rookie backup catcher John Hicks never touched the ball as it sailed past his mitt. The incident came two batters after Wolcott ejected Tigers catcher James McCann and manager Brad Ausmus over ongoing critiques of his strike zone. Wolcott appeared on a TV replay to ask his fellow umps: “They didn’t do it on purpose, did they?” The Tigers vehemently denied any intent in the incident.