Ramirez appealing suspension
Yohan Ramírez likes to throw his hard stuff inside and his pitches have a lot of ride. He also has control issues, as is evidenced by his career 5.0 walks-pernine innings rate.
Whether it’s plausible deniability or whether the pitch he threw over the head of Brewers’ DH Rhys Hoskins on Saturday was unintentional, as the Mets have stated, Ramírez is appealing the three-game suspension he received Sunday. The right-hander always intended to appeal and plans to speak to his lawyer about how to proceed in the process.
“I was really surprised when I got here to the ballpark and they gave me that news right before I went out to go to practice,” Ramírez said through a translator following the Mets’ 4-1 loss to Milwaukee at Citi Field. “That’s why I decided to appeal it.”
Ramírez, a 28-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has been in the middle of the weekend’s controversy. It started Friday when Hoskins and Jeff McNeil tangled late in the game and the benches and bullpens cleared. It hit a fever pitch (no pun intended) when Hoskins drove in four runs against the Mets on Saturday. And it ended Sunday when manager Carlos Mendoza was suspended for a game and Hoskins went 0-for-4.
Ramirez is allowed to pitch until the appeals process is complete. He threw three innings Sunday. The Brewers took two runs off of him in his second straight appearance, but he ate some key innings in relief of Tylor Megill, who was removed from the game early with shoulder discomfort. His 41 pitches saved the bullpen during a busy stretch of games.
“I’m prepared to do that,” he said.”I know that this is what I kind of built myself up to do and whatever role that the organization needs me to play, that’s what I’m willing to do. Whatever I need to do to make this team and to stay on this team is what I want to do.”
Megill was sent for an MRI. The Mets did not have an update on the righthander following the game.
NOT HIS FIRST RODEO
John Gibbons last worked in a dugout in September 2018, but the former Blue Jays manager was back in the driver’s seat Sunday, filling in for the suspended Mendoza. The new Mets bench coach was informed about 90 minutes before game time that he would be taking Mendoza’s spot.
He wasn’t necessarily surprised that the league punished Mendoza, though he did have hope that the manager could avoid a punishment. He also wasn’t surprised when the familiar feeling in his stomach returned.
“I’ve done it, and I did it for 10 years. I didn’t think much of it, to be honest with you,” he said. “I’ve been through it. Naturally, you get butterflies. But I had butterflies Opening Day here too as a bench coach.”
It was like riding a bike for the veteran skipper, but he’d rather let Mendoza do the steering.
“It would have been nice to get a win,” he said. “But hopefully he doesn’t get suspended anymore.”
HARD-EARNED HARDWARE
Francisco Lindor received his Silver Slugger Award on the field before the game, receiving the hardware alongside his wife, Katia, and two daughters, Kalina and Amapola. This was the first Silver Slugger Award for Lindor since he signed with the Mets in 2021 and his third overall.