Hundley fined, but unlike Puig, avoids MLB suspension

Giants catcher Nick Hundley was fined and Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has been suspended for two games and given an undisclosed fine for their parts in inciting a benchclearing incident earlier this week.

Major League Baseball announced the sanctions Thursday, two days after Puig took a swing at Hundley during the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 2-1 home loss. Hundley’s fine total also was not disclosed.

Barring an appeal, Puig is scheduled to begin the suspension today at Seattle.

The fracas started when Puig swatted his bat in frustration after fouling off a pitch from Tony Watson, and Hundley said something to the slugger while still in his crouch. Puig turned around and walked toward Hundley, the catcher stood up, and they argued face to face before Puig shoved Hundley twice.

That brought players out of the benches and bullpens. Puig and Hundley were momentarily separated, but Puig ducked around teammates, coaches and Manager Dave Roberts before reaching back to hit Hundley. He smacked Hundley with an open hand across the front of his catcher’s mask. Dodgers coach George Lombard was trying to push Hundley away when Puig took his swing. After the players were separated for good, the umpires ejected Puig and Hundley.

Puig also got into a skirmish with Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner in 2014.

Plunkings come under fire

Aaron Judge saw Jose Urena’s plunking of Ronald Acuna Jr. before the Yankees played a day game Thursday, and he felt Acuna’s pain. The reigning AL home run leader knows that with so many big flies comes a risk that some disgruntled pitcher may try burying a fastball in your ribs.

“Oh yeah, it’s happened before,” New York’s star slugger said.

Throwing at a batter for hitting home runs? That’s what many think Urena did, including Mets broadcaster and former big league first baseman Keith Hernandez, who defended Urena’s plunking of Atlanta’s breakout rookie. Mostly, though, players and coaches around the game seemto want nothing to do with this murky unwritten rule.

The Miami right-hander sparked a benchesclearing fracas in Atlanta when he drilled Acuna in the elbow with the first pitch of a game Wednesday. Acuna had homered leading off three consecutive games and gone deep four times in the first three games of the series against the Marlins.

Acuna had a CT scan that revealed his elbow was normal, and X-rays also were negative. He was back in Atlanta’s lineup Thursday night against Colorado. Acuna said his elbow felt fine.

As Acuna walked to the plate for his first at-bat against the Rockies wearing a red protective pad on his left arm the crowd at SunTrust Park gave the youngster a standing ovation. He playfully patted home-plate umpire Pat Hoberg, took a ball on the first pitch, and then lined a single up the middle. Acuna finished 1 for 4 and didn’t homer. Urena claimed he was just pitching Acuna inside and missed his spot with a “bad pitch.” He was suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount on Thursday.

The Braves as well as the game’s umpires believed the plunking was intentional. Braves All-Star Freddie Freeman said it “was just completely classless on Jose Urena’s part,” and Manager Brian Snitker was near the front of a line of Atlanta players charging out of the dugout toward the mound.

At least one prominent baseball voice thought Urena would be right to intentionally drill Acuna, though: Hernandez, the 1979NL co-MVP.

“They’re killing you,” Hernandez said. “You lost three games. He’s hit three (leadoff) home runs. You got to hit him.”