USA TODAY International Edition
MLB suspends Astros’ coach for 20 games in bench- clearing brawl
MLB threw the book at Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron on Tuesday by suspending him 20 games for instigating the bench- clearing melee Sunday while Athletics outfielder Ramon Laureano received a six- game suspension.
Cintron, who cursed at Laureano from the bench in the seventh inning and urged him to come to the bench to fight, received a large fine as well.
MLB was outraged at Cintron’s actions and felt he should be held accountable for triggering the melee.
Cintron’s suspension began Tuesday. Laureano has appealed his ban.
“I accept MLB’s suspension and will learn from this. Although I never referenced Ramon’s mother, my actions were inappropriate. I apologize for my part in Sunday’s unfortunate incident,” Cintron said in a statement.
“Hopefully, other coaches will learn from my mistake so that this never happens again in the future.”
With the severity of the punishment, MLB made it clear it has no tolerance for that behavior, particularly in the middle of a pandemic with the sport carefully monitoring health protocols.
“It’s a tough situation,” Laureano said Monday. “I reacted that way and it’s a hard time with social distancing during the pandemic. Obviously, I look like a not very smart guy. … I’m a man, a freaking man. Whatever happens, I’ll take it. I couldn’t keep my cool. And I should have instead of wasting my time with that guy.”
Laureano was hit three times by pitches in the series, two on Sunday, but did not believe any of the pitches were intentional. Laureano said he had no interest charging the dugout, he said, until Cintron said something derogatory about Laureano’s mother, he said.
In July Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly was suspended for eight games for throwing toward the head of the Astros’ Alex Bregman and taunting Carlos Correa.