USA TODAY International Edition
Gurriel avoids suspension in World Series
Astros 1B to serve 5-game ban in 2018 for slurring Darvish
HOUSTON - It was perhaps Commissioner Rob Manfred’s most difficult, challenging, decision since taking office nearly three years ago.
He knew that no matter what he ruled, he would be chastised, ridiculed and scorned, his decision dissected and exposed for everyone to see on baseball’s biggest stage.
Manfred, despite pleas Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel should be suspended for Saturday night’s World Series game for his racist actions Friday night in Game 3 - after homering off Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish in the Astros’ 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers - determined Saturday that Gurriel will not be suspended during the World Series.
Instead, Gurriel will suspended five games at the beginning of the Astros’ 2018 season, without pay, losing $322,581 in salary.
It was a blow to Gurriel’s bank account, but if Gurriel didn’t accept this punishment, he would have been suspended Game 4 Saturday night.
Gurriel wouldn’t have lost a penny in salary if he was suspended Saturday, but he would have lost the total respect of his 24 teammates, including a fan base clamoring for their first World Series title in franchise history.
It was a simple, but painful choice.
And, let’s be honest here, if not Gurriel does not share mutual friends and agents with Darvish, and was not supported by the Major League Players Association, the decision would have been taken out of his hands.
The union, led by Tony Clark, played a vital role in the decision:
Don’t suspend Gurriel now, and in exchange, he will accept the longest suspension in Manfred’s reign for violating their policy toward racial and sexual equality.
The decision was reached around 3 p.m. ET and Manfred addressed the media an hour later.
“There is complete unanimity,’’ Manfred said at his press conference, "that there is no place in our game for the behavior or any behavior like we witnessed last night. There is no excuse or explanation that makes that type of behavior acceptable.’’
Manfred met with Gurriel early afternoon Saturday, and expressed his remorse. He had a sleepless night, realizing the pain of his actions, and reached out to his agents to apologize to Darvish.
“I believe based on my conversation that he understood that both the language and the gesture were offensive,’’ Manfred said. “He maintains that he did not intend to be offensive, but he understands that it was. And that's what's important.
“I also hope that we don't overlook the training aspect of the discipline. I think it is important. I think that we all need continuing reminders and education in this area as to what's appropriate and not appropriate. And I do feel it's an important part of the entire package.’’
Manfred also spoke with Darvish, who told Manfred that he didn’t believe Gurriel’s actions were worthy of a World Series suspension. He was hurt by Gurriel calling him “a Chinese boy,’’ in Spanish, and making a face to mock Darvish, but he still thought that the ridicule Gurriel would receive for his actions far out-weighed a suspension.
“No one is perfect,’’ Darvish told reporters in Japanese on Friday night, “that includes both you and I. What he had done isn’t right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him.
“If we can take something from this, that is a giant step for mankind. Since we are living in such a wonderful world, let’s stay positive and move forward instead of focusing on anger.’’
Said Manfred: “He has handled this entire difficult situation in an exemplary way. Especially noteworthy is his expressed view that we should all use this negative incident as an opportunity for learning and deeper understanding.’’
If Darvish had acted differently, if he would have screamed to the heavens that he was deeply offended, and that Gurriel deserved an immediate suspension, the punishment may have been completely different.
“It was a factor,’’ Manfred conceded. “Again, I want to reiterate that he handled this in probably as classy a way as a player could. It was a factor but not a driving one, let me say it that way.’’
There are those that will deride Manfred for not suspending Gurriel immediately, believing that on baseball’s biggest stage, Major League Baseball could have sent a greater message of tolerance.
Most likely, that was Manfred’s original intention when he woke up Saturday morning. Yet, he also saw the remorse in Gurriel, listened to friends and colleagues of Gurriel saying it was more of a cultural difference being from Cuba than a hate crime. And, yes, this is the World Series, and he wasn’t about to let Gurriel’s actions put a dark cloud over their jewel event.
So Gurriel will now have to live with the incident for the rest of his life, be reminded of it throughout spring training, and miss the first five games of the regular season - four games on the road against the Texas Rangers and their home opener April 2 against the Baltimore Orioles.
“There is no question that it is a difficult decision,’’ Manfred said, “as to when the appropriate timing was. Obviously World Series games are different than regular-season games. And I used my best judgment as to where the appropriate disciplinary level fell.
“I felt it was unfair to punish the other 24 players on the Astros roster,’’ Manfred said. “I wanted the burden of this discipline to fall primarily on the wrongdoer.’’
Go ahead and argue all you want, and there really was no perfect decision, but this compromise between Manfred, the players union and Gurriel was the right call.
Gurriel, who has hit .340 with a .933 OPS in the postseason, with the most hits (18) by a Cuban-born player in a single postseason, has been publicly shamed. He will be booed in opposing ballparks during at least the outset of the 2018 season, and perhaps forever. And for a man who grew up with little money, he will be the only player on the field who basically is forfeiting his entire World Series share.
The pain and shame is real, the money is lost, but ultimately and most important, the sanctity of the World Series stays intact.
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