Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Urena should be given an early vacation
Paul Newberry of The Associated Press wants Major League Baseball to suspend Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena for the remainder of the 2018 season for hitting Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. with the first pitch during Wednesday’s game at Atlanta’s SunTrust Park.
“Ronald Acuna Jr. is good for baseball,” Newberry wrote.
“Jose Urena and his defenders are not.
“Jose, take the rest of the season off.
“And while you’re at it, take Keith Hernandez with you.
“In a nod to the bad ol’ days when it was apparently acceptable to plunk a guy who was playing too well, Urena unleashed a 97 mph fastball to Acuna’s left forearm with his very first pitch of Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta.
“Fortunately, it appears Acuna escaped serious injury. The Braves said X-rays on his elbow were negative and results of further tests would be announced on Thursday.
“Nevertheless, Major League Baseball should act swiftly to show that this sort of barbarism will not be tolerated in the national pastime.
“Urena deserves to be suspended for the rest of the season.
“Nothing less.
“Urena apparently thought it was perfectly acceptable to assault — hey, let’s call it what it was — one of the game’s shining young stars, a 20-year-old who plays the game with pure joy and great skill for the first-place Braves. “Acuna’s crime?
“Going deep four times in the previous three games against the woeful Miami Marlins [and homering in five straight games overall], a remarkable run that included one of baseball’s rarest feats — a pair of leadoff homers in Monday’s doubleheader sweep by Atlanta.
“Acuna started Tuesday’s game with his third straight leadoff homer.
“Urena made sure the streak didn’t reach four before the Marlins left town.
Newberry didn’t get his wish as Urena was handed a sixgame suspension from MLB late Thursday.